Wet Sand Making Plant Project – Enhanced Case Study
VSI wet sand making plant in Kazakhstan replacing rod mill. Cubical 0–5 mm sand, 10–15% yield gain with fine sand recovery. EPC by Zhengzhou Sinoma.
Project Details
Project Overview
This wet sand making plant was delivered to a quarry and construction materials customer in Kazakhstan, processing argillaceous shale into high-quality artificial sand for concrete production. The new line replaced an old rod mill circuit that had become expensive to run and produced poorly shaped sand. The customer is now satisfied with the grain shape, cleanliness, and yield of the final product.
Why Replace a Rod Mill with a VSI Sand Maker
The customer had been using a rod mill to produce manufactured sand. Rod mills work, but they have three well-known drawbacks for sand production:
High media and power cost — steel rods and liners wear fast on abrasive shale, and specific power runs 25–35 kWh/t
Flat, elongated particles — rod-mill sand is flaky, which raises water demand in concrete
Low uptime — rod replacement every 3–4 weeks cuts effective running time
A VSI (vertical shaft impact) sand maker produces cubically shaped sand at a fraction of the power and media cost, especially when paired with a sand washer and fine-sand recovery.
Process Flow & Equipment
| Stage | Equipment | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Feeding | Vibrating feeder | Steady, controlled feed of crushed shale into the VSI |
| Crushing / sand making | VSI vertical shaft impact crusher | Shapes shale into cubical 0–5 mm sand |
| Screening | Multi-deck vibrating screen | Removes oversize and splits into sand fractions |
| Washing | Sand washer (spiral / wheel) | Removes clay, dust, and fines |
| Fine sand recovery | Fine sand recovery unit | Captures 0.15 mm fines from wash water, boosting yield |
Project Delivery
The project followed our standard EPC-like turnkey process — process design, manufacturing, sea and rail logistics to Kazakhstan, on-site installation supervision, commissioning, and operator training. The wet layout is well suited to the customer's shale feed, which contains clay and requires washing to produce concrete-grade sand.
Results
Cost reduction: Replacing the rod mill cut power and media cost dramatically — no more steel rods to purchase and replace
Product shape: VSI-produced sand is cubical, with lower flakiness index, reducing water demand in the customer's ready-mix concrete
Yield: The fine sand recovery unit captures ultra-fines that would otherwise be lost in the wash water, raising usable sand output by an estimated 10–15%
Reliability: The VSI and screens have fewer wear parts than a rod mill, giving more consistent uptime
Customer Feedback
"The VSI sand making plant from Zhengzhou Sinoma replaced our old rod mill and immediately lowered our operating cost. The sand grain shape is much better, and our concrete customers notice the difference. The fine sand recovery unit alone paid back a meaningful share of the investment."
Related Equipment
Planning a manufactured sand plant for granite, limestone, shale, or pebbles? See our VSI sand maker and sand washer range, or contact our engineers for a wet or dry sand-making circuit.