Bitumen plant and counter flow asphalt mixing plant are the two types of plants that are categorized as continuous mixing plants. Both these types of plants produce hot mix asphalt in a continuous process. Batch mix plants are also there which make hot mix asphalt in batch. The end product is to get hot mix asphalt but the process of batching plants and continuous plants is totally different from each other. The difference in the process is what makes the quality of hot mix asphalt different in all the types of plants.

The next part is the screening bitumen plant process. Here is a single deck vibrating screen which removes the oversized aggregates thus preventing them from entering the drum.

Charging conveyor plays an important role in the asphalt plant process because it not only transfers the cold aggregates from below the screen to the drum but also does the weighing of the aggregates. This conveyor is equipped with a load cell which continuously weighs the aggregates and sends signal to the control panel.

Drying and mixing drum is responsible for two operations first drying and then mixing. This drum is continuously rotating and in the course of the rotation, aggregates are transferred from one end to the other. The aggregates are treated to heat by the burner flame to reduce the moisture content in the aggregates. When we talk about the process in a parallel flow plant, the aggregates move away from the burner flame and in the counter flow plant, the aggregates move towards the burner flame. On the other end of the drum, the heated aggregates are mixed with bitumen and minerals. The drum plays an important role in the drum mix plant process.

Fuel tank for drying drum burner stores and provides fuel to the drum burner. Apart from that, the critical component includes asphalt storage tanks which store, heat and also pump required asphalt to the drying drum for mixing with the hot aggregates. Filler silos are for addition for optional filler / binder material into the mixer.

Pollution control devices play an important part in the process. They help to eliminate the harmful gases that may have escaped the environment. Primary dust collector is a dry dust collector and it works in sync with secondary dust collector which can be a bag filter or a wet dust scrubber.

Load out conveyor collects the ready hot mix asphalt from below the drum and takes it to the waiting truck or into the storage silo. Optional storage silo stores the HMA till the truck arrives.

Control panel with today's machines comes with modern and sophisticated controls. They allow storage of different mix recipes as per customer's demand. Asphalt concrete plant can be controlled from a single place from the control panel.