Paving Block and Interlock Machine for Iraq: Static Press or Vibrating Press
18 October 2026 · 6 min read
Quick answer
Pavers need a closed top face, sharp arrises and a thickness that repeats, so a static hydraulic press at 31.5 MPa is the right frame when pavers or kerbs pass a third of planned output. Under that share, a vibrating press with a paver mould keeps hollow block volume. Mould piece count sets the real capacity: 16 pavers on an 850 x 700 mm area, 40 on 1,440 x 850 mm.
Choosing a paving block and interlock machine for Iraq comes down to one frame decision: static hydraulic press or vibrating press. The difference shows on the pallet, not in the brochure. A paver at 200 x 100 x 60 mm has to leave the mould with a closed top face, four sharp arrises and the same 60 mm thickness on the thousandth piece as on the first. A static press at 31.5 MPa does that every cycle. A vibrating table does something else well.
What does a 200 x 100 x 60 mm paver ask of the machine?
Three properties decide whether a paver sells twice: a closed top face, sharp arrises, and a thickness that does not wander across the pallet. All three come from how the mix is compacted. A static press closes the mould with a ram bearing on a mechanical stop, so steel holds the 60 mm and 31.5 MPa lands on the whole face at once. Air and water leave before the face sets. Vibration shakes the mix into the corners but does not squeeze the last air out of the wear surface.
Press direction is the second decision. A bidirectional press moves the top and bottom rams together, holding density even through a 60 mm height, and the effect is larger on a kerb stone. It runs 18-22 s. A unidirectional press holds the pallet fixed and runs 20-25 s. Both are quoted at 31.5 MPa, so pressure is not the difference. Density spread and frame size are: QS1000 bidirectional 105.4 kW at 33 t, unidirectional 66.4 kW at 29 t.
How many pavers come off one mould, and why does that number design the plant?
The piece count is geometry. An 850 x 700 mm moulding area takes 16 pavers at 200 x 100 x 60 mm once the frame and the clearance between cavities are cut out. At 1,100 x 680 mm the same product gives 24, at 1,100 x 850 mm it gives 32, and at 1,440 x 850 mm it gives 40. Nothing in that sequence is a marketing choice, it is a mould fitting a press.
That number, ahead of cycle time, is what a buyer multiplies first. Sixteen pieces per cycle on a 20 to 25 s window and forty on the same window are different plants, with different curing yards. A yard is laid out around pallet count, not block count, so the pallet carrying 40 pavers sets the rack count, the aisle width and the stack height. The QS-1200A cuber stops at 1,400 mm.
- QS600: 16 pavers per mould, 850 x 700 mm area, 900 x 700 x 20 mm pallet.
- QS800 unidirectional: 24 per mould, 1,100 x 680 mm area, 1,100 x 700 x 20 mm pallet.
- QS1000 unidirectional: 32 per mould, 1,100 x 850 mm area, 1,200 x 900 x 20 mm pallet.
- QS1500 unidirectional: 40 per mould, 1,440 x 850 mm area, 1,500 x 900 x 30 mm pallet.
When is a vibrating press the right machine instead?
A hollow block 390 x 190 x 190 mm is a different problem. The mix has to flow around cores and fill 190 mm of height, and vibration at 3,800 to 4,500 times per minute does that faster than any press stroke. The QST1800 puts 280 kN of vibration force on a 1,400 x 1,400 x 30 mm pallet, runs 15-25 s on 104 kW and weighs 34 t. On hollow block that frame beats a static press of similar footprint, because a paver mould carries 40 cavities against 6.
Put a paver mould on the same frame and the limits appear. The table shakes the mix into the cavity, then the ram closes, so the face is compacted by vibration and a short squeeze, not a 31.5 MPa static stroke. The top face reads rougher, arrises round slightly, thickness moves more across the pallet. That sells into yards, farm roads and footpaths and struggles against a competitor casting on a static press. QST6-15 quotes 21 to 24 coloured floor tiles per mould, so the capability is real and the surface is the compromise.
Is face colour a paint finish or a machine option?
Colour in a paver is a face mix: cement, pigment and fine aggregate placed in the mould before the base mix and compacted with it in one stroke. On the machine that means a second feeding station with its own hopper, mix and controlled strike-off, sequenced by the PLC so the face mix lands first. A frame ordered without it cannot colour a paver later, and painting a cured block gives a shorter life under traffic.
The option belongs on the order sheet beside the mould. It also changes what the cycle figure means: the cycle time in the data is the dry cycle, and a face-mix feed inserts a step inside it. Ask for the coloured cycle in writing and check it against the target per shift before fixing the mould count.
What changes when the same frame switches from hollow block to paver?
Four things change: mould, pallet, cycle settings and feed. A mould is a set of frame, core, base plate, guiding assembly and positioning mechanism, machined for one product. The pallet changes with it, 20 mm on the QS600 and QS800, 30 mm on the QS1500, because a paver needs a stiffer bed than a hollow block. Then come pressure, dwell, stroke and the question of whether vibration is used at all.
The frame carries both families, and the mould list proves it. QS800 bidirectional is quoted with 5 hollow blocks 390 x 190 x 190 mm, 28 standard bricks 240 x 115 x 51 mm and 30 small blocks 170 x 80 x 80 mm per mould. The paver counts, 24 on QS800 and 32 on QS1000, are quoted on the unidirectional version. Pin that down in the offer: a paver mould is ordered against the exact press type, not a model number.
Changeover is a planned stop, not a switch. Count it in the plan: a plant running hollow block in the morning and pavers in the afternoon pays in mould handling, pallet changes and the first cycles off specification. Plants that switch daily end up dedicating one frame to pavers.
The one third rule, and the four numbers to send with an inquiry
Here is the rule. If pavers and kerbs together are more than a third of planned output, buy a static press. If they are a side line between housing contracts, keep the vibrating press and add a mould. A static press pays for surface quality with hollow block volume: fewer pieces per cycle on a 20-25 s cycle, a heavier frame for the same footprint.
Send four numbers with an inquiry: the product mix as a share of output, the paver size and thickness, the target per shift, and the stack height the curing yard can hold. Add the site grid supply and the hours you actually get it, because a 105.4 kW frame and a 46.9 kW frame are different answers to a weak supply.
Frequently asked questions
Can a vibrating press produce sellable paving blocks at all?
Yes, at a lower surface standard. The QST6-15 data quotes 21 to 24 coloured floor tiles 200 x 100 x 60 mm per mould, which is a real paver output. Expect a rougher top face, slightly rounded arrises and a wider thickness spread across the pallet. That sells into yards, farm roads and footpaths. Against a competitor casting on a static press, the surface is the first thing a buyer compares.
Why does moulding area matter more than press force?
Force per square centimetre is set by the press and stays at 31.5 MPa across the range. The moulding area decides how many pieces that pressure reaches in one cycle: 16 pieces on 850 x 700 mm, 24 on 1,100 x 680 mm, 32 on 1,100 x 850 mm, 40 on 1,440 x 850 mm. Capacity tracks the area and the pallet, not the pressure figure.
Can a hollow block frame be converted to pavers later?
Mechanically yes, with a mould, a pallet and new cycle settings. Commercially it depends on what was ordered. A face-colour layer needs a second feeding station that cannot be added cheaply after the frame is built, and paver piece counts are quoted on the unidirectional version of each frame. Check both points before you sign, not after the first paver order.
Which machine suits a plant that sells hollow block and pavers together?
Decide by share of output. Where pavers and kerbs pass a third of production, a static press such as the QS800 bidirectional, which also carries 5 hollow blocks and 28 standard bricks per mould, keeps both lines in one frame. Where they stay under a third, a QST1800 at 280 kN with a paver mould covers both products without a second frame.
What should a buyer measure before ordering a paver mould?
Four figures: the share of output that is pavers or kerbs, the paver size and thickness, the target pieces per shift, and the stack height the curing yard allows, capped at 1,400 mm on the QS-1200A cuber. Add the grid supply and the hours you get it. Send those and the mould, pallet and cycle setting follow from them.
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