Pursuing its mission to be the supplier of choice by consistently delivering quality products and services in a safe and timely manner since 1986, Maschmeyer
Pursuing its mission to be the supplier of choice by consistently delivering quality products and services in a safe and timely manner since 1986, Maschmeyer Concrete Co. of Florida Inc. (MCC) has grown from four trucks and seven team members to an operation comprising four computer-controlled concrete batch plants, 60 trucks, and a steel fabrication division manned by 100-plus employees serving Palm Beach, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties in Florida. No compromise in quality has accompanied the Lake Park-based company’s significant expansion; in fact, the growth of the American-owned and -operated ready mixed producer can be attributed partly to quality control aided by reliance on Ohaus scales for a full range of measurement capability.
On a daily basis, MCC Technical Services Manager Richard Lorenz is responsible for creating custom mix designs for a variety of projects, ranging from residential to commercial, infrastructure, and municipal works. In meeting the specified demands of a particular application, limits to concrete mix variations are imposed only by budget and professional ingenuity: mixes can range from low-strength flowable fill, essentially an engineered sand backfill with a low compressive strength [100 psi], to a high-performance [15,000- to 20,000-psi] structural concrete for multistory high-rise construction. Given widely diverging possibilities, the importance of attention to detail in mix composition cannot be overstated.
Projects with demanding environmental and chemical exposures, or other unique high-performance structural conditions, require their own concrete performance specification, explains MCC’s Lorenz. The color, aggregate size, air content, water to cementing materials ratio, setting time, early and ultimate compressive and flexural strength, shrinkage and impermeability of the concrete, to name a few parameters, may be defined by the owner’s engineer or architect for us to produce.
Lorenz is responsible for the user friendliness of each specific mix, enabling MCC customers to complete their projects in a timely manner. To ensure successful operation of the company’s certified testing laboratory, where raw materials used in ready mixed production are evaluated, he employs Ohaus weighing equipment for accuracy and productivity. The many special jobs for which MCC’s American Concrete Institute (ACI)- and Florida DOT-certified concrete technicians develop innovative mix designs require peerless precision in measurement. Additionally, all MCC materials are weighed gravimetrically in the yard, rather than measured by volume, prior to being loaded into front-discharge mixer trucks. Proper weighing of materials is critically important to the successful operation of our organization, adds Lorenz.
For 20-plus years, MCC has been using Ohaus scales in both laboratory and field testing. A combination of mechanical, analytical, portable and bench scales suits a wide range of measurement processes that the company’s operation entails. In the field, Ohaus scales are used for unit-weight testing of mixes to determine the volume of job-site delivered concrete. Information provided by the scales proves indispensable when the need arises to resolve customer inquiries regarding concrete yield.
In the lab, Ohaus scales engineered for testing and weighing individual mix constituents provide coarse- and fine-aggregate material weights for assessing specific gravity and absorption. The testing helps determine appropriate quantities of each material for an optimal mix. Another test employing Ohaus scales identifies material fineness modulus, a key factor in mix proportioning. As in the field, furthermore, the scales are used for unit weight testing to determine yield in lab trial batches.
A number of standards put forth by both the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the American Society for Testing and Materials require accurate measurement on our part, Lorenz observes. We reference these standards on a daily basis to ensure that we stay compliant and produce quality concrete.
Lorenz’s lineup of Ohaus weighing equipment includes Voyager Pro, Triple Beam Balance, Scout, and Defender scales, all supplied through Atlantic Drilling Supply. The Voyager Pro, an analytical balance with functions that determine the difference between initial and residual weights, can calculate the density of both solids and liquids. The Triple Bream Balance is a mechanical scale that accommodates five weighing platforms and features direct-reading dial calibration with the speed of magnetic damping. For general use, the portable Scout and Defender bench scales reportedly provide MCC versatility and accessibility that make production easier and faster. Û www.OHAUS.com