Heavy Clay
Steele brick and block making machines for the heavy clay industry
Steele has served the brick industry since 1889. We’re internationally recognized for our expertise in stiff extrusion, or extruding a product durable enough to be handled immediately following extrusion.
In most cases, brick manufacturers using Steele extruders set products directly on kiln cars for both drying and firing. This is the most efficient manufacturing process (where practical) and why most bricks made in the U.S. and Australia are made with Steele machines.
Steele machines produce over 90% of all bricks made in the U.S.
Steele provides an easy, cost-effective way to test the thin brick market
Responding to growing market demand for thin brick, Steele introduced its HD-10 extrusion system for creating and testing thin brick. The new HD-10 extrusion system shapes up to 2,000 thin bricks an hour.
Lower capital and operating costs
Stiff extrusion offers other advantages where direct setting isn’t practical. Our extruders use less water, for better quality and less product loss for applications with manual handling, open air drying or chamber dryers.
Using less water during extrusion requires less energy to dry units, for more efficient production. Regardless of your degree of automation, Steele stiff extrusion offers operational savings with lower capital costs.
Void areas up to 65%
Steele stiff extrusion does more than produce facing brick. Our extruders deliver efficient production of pavers, tiles and hollow block with void areas up to 65%.
These machines are cost-effective, whether you’re producing five tons per hour of tile or 100 tons of facing bricks or pavers.
Machinery, engineering and service
For more information on our machinery and its suitability for your materials and continuous shaping requirements, talk to your regional Steele sales or service representative, or contact us.
Why Steele machines are tougher
Steele extruders, like all of our machines, are typically heavier than competitive machines built with fabricated frame components and fabricated augers. Our in-house foundry casts primary frame components from ductile iron and wearing parts with a wear-resistant high chrome alloy.
Steele extruders also use larger motors than competitive machines, delivering the required high torque for years of reliable stiff extrusion.
Set higher
Steele stiff extrusion requires less water than comparable technologies, which means greater strength for green products.
Dry faster
Brick and structural clay plants using air-drying can stack units higher without deforming. Plants with chamber dryers can dry faster and more efficiently.
Faster, safer die changeovers
Install our hydraulic die changer to change a die or product size in about 60 seconds. The push of a lever replaces an entire maintenance crew handling multiple heavy components.
Proven Metal Recovery With Simple, Reliable Equipment
If your mills are accumulating mountains of minus 3mm fines with varying moisture levels, then you’re in our sweet spot and we should talk.
For more information on Steele by-product management for iron and steel mills, talk to your regional Steele sales representative or call +1.704.872.3681.