Lightweight concrete composite blocks

An apparatus for manufacturing lightweight concrete composite blocks, comprising:

• a form defining a desired shape that holds a volume of composite;
• a form loading station that receives composite and delivers the composite to the form;
• a form assembly station that facilitates assembly of the form;
• a station conveyor that conveys the form about the apparatus in a continuous loop;
• a curing oven, wherein the station conveyor conveys the composite-filled form from the form loading station through the curing oven, thereby curing the composite into a lightweight concrete composite block;
• a block removal station that, upon delivery of the form from the curing oven via the stationer conveyor, removes the lightweight concrete composite block from the form;
• and
• the station conveyor, comprising:
• a first station conveyor that conveys unloaded forms to the form loading station;
• a loading conveyor that receives from the first station conveyor unloaded forms for filling with composite and that delivers loaded forms from the form loading stations,
• a first roller conveyor that receives from the loading conveyor loaded forms and that delivers the loaded forms to the form assembly stations,
• a second station conveyor that receives from the first roller conveyor loaded forms and that conveys loaded and assembled forms from the form assembly station through the curing oven and to the block removal station;
• an unloading conveyor that receives from the second station conveyor forms filled with cured composite and that delivers unloaded forms from the block removal station, and
• a second roller conveyor that receives from the unloading conveyor unloaded forms and that delivers the unloaded forms to the first station conveyor.

An apparatus for manufacturing lightweight concrete composite blocks, comprising:

• a form defining a desired shape that holds a volume of composite;
• a form loading station that receives composite and delivers the composite to the form;
• a form assembly station that facilitates assembly of the form;
• a station conveyor that conveys the form about the apparatus in a continuous loop:
• a curing oven, wherein the station conveyor conveys the composite-filled form from the form loading station through the curing oven, thereby curing the composite into a lightweight concrete composite block;
• and
• a block removal station that, upon delivery of the form from the curing oven via the station conveyor, removes the lightweight concrete composite block from the form, the block removal station, comprising:
• a cap removal/lockdown assembly that removes and replaces a cap of the form and that locks down a bottom assembly of the form, the cap removal/lockdown assembly, comprising,
• at least one lifting rail adapted to engage a cap bracket attached to the cap of the form,
• at least one lockdown rail adapted to engage a pin attached to the bottom assembly of the form, whereby the lifting rail and the lockdown rail are pivotally connected together, and
• at least one lifting cylinder attached to the lifting rail, wherein the lifting cylinder moves between an engagement position whereby the lifting rail engages the cap bracket and a lockdown position whereby the lifting cylinder raises the lifting rail to remove the cap from the bottom assembly and further whereby the raising of the lifting rail pivots the lockdown rail such that the lockdown rail engages the pin to lock down the bottom assembly of the form,
• a dispatch assembly that removes a cured block from a locked down bottom assembly of the forms, and
• a frame that supports the cap removal/lockdown assembly and the dispatch assembly.

An apparatus for manufacturing lightweight concrete composite blocks, comprising:

• a form defining a desired shape that holds a volume of composite;
• a form loading station that receives composite and delivers the composite to the form;
• a form assembly station that facilitates assembly of the form;
• a station conveyor that conveys the form about the apparatus in a continuous loop;
• a curing oven, wherein the station conveyor conveys the composite-filled form from the form loading station through the curing oven, thereby curing the composite into a lightweight concrete composite block;
• and
• a block removal station that, upon delivery of the form from the curing oven via the station conveyor, removes the lightweight concrete composite block from the form, the block removal station, comprising:
• a cap removal/lockdown assembly that removes and replaces a cap of the form and that locks down a bottom assembly of the form,
• a dispatch assembly that removes a cured block from a locked down bottom assembly of the form, the dispatch assembly, comprising:
• at least one dispatch cylinder mounted on the frame, and
• a ram plate hingedly attached to the dispatch cylinder, wherein the ram plate moves between a ram position and a bypass position whereby, when the dispatch cylinder extends, the ram in the ram position pushes a block from the form and further whereby, when the dispatch cylinder retracts, the ram in the bypass position rotates to bypass the form, and
• a frame that supports the cap removal/lockdown assembly and the dispatch assembly.