System and method for producing concrete products by a casting method

A system for producing concrete products by casting moulds having outer and inner moulds, the system comprising

• an automated, program-controlled, circulation system comprising:
• a hardening area configured to store concrete products hardening in a respective casting mould;
• an automated manufacturing area comprising a plurality of automated manufacturing devices;
• a manual assembly area arranged in parallel to the automated manufacturing area and including a manually operable mould assembly unit;
• a conveying unit comprising automated circulation conveyor sections configured to convey the casting moulds or the outer and inner moulds of the casting moulds from the hardening area to the automated manufacturing area, between respective manufacturing units in the automated manufacturing area, and from the automated manufacturing area into the hardening area;
• wherein the automated manufacturing area of the circulation system comprises:
• an automated cleaning unit configured to automatically clean the outer and inner moulds of a casting mould positioned at the automated cleaning unit, after being demoulded in a demoulding unit;
• an automated mould assembly unit configured to set up one or more casting moulds from corresponding outer and inner moulds that have been cleaned in the automated cleaning unit, and
• an automated filling unit configured to fill one or more set up casting moulds with concrete;
• and
• a transfer unit that is program-controlled and configured to automatically transfer one or more casting moulds supplied by a second supply conveying section from the manually operable mould assembly unit and one or more casting moulds supplied by a first supply conveying section that is separate from the second supply conveying section, from the automated mould assembly unit to one or more filling stations of the automated filling unit,
• wherein the manually operable mould assembly unit comprises at least one mould assembly station configured to facilitate manually assisted set up of one or more casting moulds from corresponding outer and inner moulds,
• wherein the conveying unit comprises:
• the first supply conveying section configured to supply a casting mould of the automated mould assembly unit to the automated filling unit, the first supply conveying section being configured as a first buffer area to intermediately store a casting mould of the automated assembly area between the automated assembly area and the automated filling unit;
• and
• the second supply conveying section configured to supply a casting mould set up in the manually operable mould assembly unit to the automated circulation system, and
• wherein the second supply conveying section is configured as a second buffer area to intermediately store a casting mould of the manual assembly area between the manual assembly area and the automated filling unit;
• and
• a controller programmed to control the manufacturing units of the automated manufacturing area of the circulation system and the conveying unit,
• wherein the controller is configured to detect whether a potential buffer zone occupation number, which corresponds to a number of casting moulds from an automated circulation cycle that are being stored intermediately in the first buffer area, exceeds a maximum buffer zone occupation number for a relevant time period,
• wherein, if it is detected that the potential buffer zone occupation number does exceed the maximum buffer zone occupation number and a cycle mould is available it is determined that a next filling station that becomes free will be occupied by the cycle mould and it is ensured that a cycle stop can be avoided since a manually assembled casting mould is not, or not yet, supplied to the filling area.