Moldtech has completed the installation of a modular side mould system for producing precast concrete I-beams in the Dominican Republic. The equipment accommodates beams up to 43 metres long in three different heights and incorporates pneumatic vibration and a dedicated lifting device for handling the side moulds.
The project brings specialised manufacturing equipment to a precast plant, as the Dominican construction sector explores wider adoption of industrialised processes. Production planning, equipment adaptability and coordination between factory and construction site are all part of this development.
Precast concrete in the Dominican construction sector
Precast concrete already has an established presence in the Dominican Republic. Local production includes panels, infrastructure components and products for urban development, transferring part of the construction work to the factory.
Alongside this activity, there is interest in developing more industrialised construction methods. Representatives of the Dominican construction sector identify prefabrication, task mechanisation and standardised systems as ways to improve project planning and resource use.
This development requires design decisions to reflect actual manufacturing capabilities. Before producing a component, its geometry, handling, transport and incorporation into the structure must be considered. Plant equipment plays a central role in that preparation.
Moldtech’s supply addresses this requirement through a configurable system for manufacturing I-beams at different heights.
Up to 43 metres long and three production heights
The side mould assembly has a nominal length of 43 metres, comprising four ten-metre modules and one additional three-metre module.
Its height configuration allows the production of beams measuring 1.30, 1.50 and 1.80 metres high. The side moulds combine lower and upper components with intermediate modules to achieve the specified geometries.
This arrangement provides a common manufacturing system for different beam heights. The plant can configure the equipment to suit the component being produced, within the system’s defined operating range.
Modularity therefore serves a practical purpose: it allows mould configurations to be organised around production requirements and accommodates several geometries without requiring a completely separate side mould assembly for each height.
Integrated vibration
Manufacturing a long concrete beam requires attention to both its geometry and the casting process. The equipment incorporates pneumatic vibrators distributed along the side moulds for concrete compaction.
Integrating these components brings moulding and vibration together within the same assembly. Preparing each production cycle involves configuring the side moulds and the compaction equipment as part of the overall workflow.
The process continues with concrete placement, demoulding and equipment cleaning before the next casting cycle. For components of this size, the sequence of operations and preparation of handling equipment are significant aspects of daily plant activity.
Installation completed in the Dominican Republic
The supply also includes a lifting device designed specifically for handling the side mould structures. It supports assembly and movement of the components within the production area.
Its inclusion addresses a specific equipment requirement: providing a handling device compatible with the side moulds and their intended conditions of use. Handling requirements are therefore considered from the design stage.
Equipment assembly in the Dominican Republic was completed last week, bringing the project to completion.
Connecting the factory and the construction site
Precast construction requires decisions to be made in advance that will later shape site operations. Component dimensions influence transport and lifting; geometry must meet the structural design, and production schedules must be coordinated with erection requirements.
Choosing the mould is therefore part of construction planning. It is the equipment that turns the specified geometry into a concrete component and defines the configurations available to the plant.
In this project, adjustable side mould heights allow different beam types to be manufactured using a common production system. This configurability is combined with pneumatic vibration and dedicated equipment for handling the mould components.
The installation supplies equipment for a specific stage of the process: manufacturing the elements that will subsequently be transported and erected according to each project’s requirements.
Design and manufacturing in Seville
Moldtech designs and manufactures moulds and equipment for the precast concrete industry at its facilities in Seville, Spain. Each solution is developed around the characteristics of the components to be produced and the plant’s working conditions.
Engineering, manufacturing and installation support allow the equipment to be approached as a complete system. Dimensions, available configurations, integrated systems and handling operations must all fit the production process.
The supply to the Dominican Republic forms part of this international activity. In this case, the work has focused on a modular I-beam system with different production heights and dedicated equipment for use in the plant.
The result is a solution tailored to a specific industrial requirement: equipment that accommodates different beam geometries and allows their manufacture to be organised within a common system.
