Manufacturing in Europe

How is plaster made?

1. Raw material supply: The gypsum raw material is supplied from the quarry. Synthetic or recycled gypsum can also be used.
2. Washing and grinding: The raw material is washed and ground to obtain the desired size.
3. Calcination: Crushed gypsum is heated in a process called calcination. When gypsum is heated to around 150–180°C, it loses part of its natural water content and turns into a powder known as stucco.
4. Milling: The stucco powder is cooled and finely ground.
5. Mixing: Depending on the intended use, small amounts of additives may be mixed in.
6. Packaging: The final product - a dry plaster powder - is then packaged and ready to be transported. When used on a building site, plaster is simply mixed with water to form a paste. This paste can be spread onto walls or ceilings, and as it dries, it hardens back into a solid surface.

How is plasterboard made?

1. Raw material supply: The gypsum raw material is supplied from the quarry. Synthetic or recycled gypsum can also be used
2. Calcination: Gypsum is crushed and then calcined at around 180°C to remove part of its water content.
3. Mixing: The resulting stucco is mixed with water and additives to form a liquid slurry. Additives help control how quickly the mixture sets and can improve properties such as strength, fire resistance, or moisture resistance.
4. Forming: The slurry is poured onto a continuous sheet of recycled paper. Another layer of paper is placed on top, forming a “sandwich” with the wet plaster slurry in the middle.
5. Cutting: The long sheet is cut into standard board sizes.
6. Drying: The cut boards go through a drying oven to remove excess moisture and ensure they are fully solid and stable. The temperature inside a plasterboard drying oven is around 200°C. The drying process typically takes 30 to 60 minutes, depending on board thickness and product type.
7. Packaging: Finally, the plasterboards are cooled, inspected, and packaged for transport.

How are gypsum blocks made?

1. Raw material supply: Natural gypsum rock, as well as recycled or synthetic gypsum can be used.
2. Calcination: Gypsum is crushed and calcined at around 150–180°C to remove part of its natural water content. This produces a fine powder known as stucco.
3. Mixing: The stucco is mixed with water and additives to form a fluid gypsum slurry. Depending on the intended application, additives may be used to control setting time, improve strength, reduce water absorption, or enhance other performance characteristics.
4. Moulding: The slurry is poured into moulds that form the shape of the gypsum blocks, including any tongue-and-groove profiles or interlocking features required for assembly.
5. Hardening: The gypsum hardens in the moulds as it rehydrates and returns to a solid state. Once sufficient strength has been achieved, the blocks are removed from the moulds. This setting process is largely driven by a natural chemical reaction and requires no additional heat generation.
6. Drying: The blocks are dried in drying chambers to remove excess moisture and ensure dimensional stability. Drying temperatures generally range from 80°C to 140°C, depending on the block size, density, and production process. The drying process usually takes 12 to 48 hours, considerably longer than plasterboard drying because of the greater product thickness.
7. Packaging: The finished gypsum blocks are inspected, stacked, and packaged before being transported to customers. The blocks are then ready for use in the construction of non-load-bearing partitions and other interior applications.