Boom

The CIFA range of truck pumps and concrete pumps includes 20 metre to 80 metre models. 
The many possible configurations of the booms ensure optimal operation, great versatility, and allow the operator to reach any part of the construction yard, including hard-to-reach areas, as well as fast manoeuvring.
The number of sections and the degree of opening make it possible to carry out operations quickly at the construction site, with an ideal configuration for road travel: in fact, despite having very long booms, the vehicle is compact and easy to manoeuvre.

The booms of the truck pumps and concrete pumps have joints with through-pins and connecting rods as well as outer triangles. This design ensures increased resistance, durability and greater rigidity, which makes them more stable and precise when moving horizontally and vertically. Besides ensuring user comfort, CIFA solutions are also very easy to maintain. To make it more easily accessible, the turret of the booms has also been lightened by placing the piping line on the outside, which makes maintenance activities much easier. 
The thickness and size of the boom sections of CIFA models vary even along the same section. This construction technique, which involves the use of butt welding, ensures that the sections are balanced, lightened where possible and reinforced where needed, without using added material. This results in a unique, sleek and high-tech design. 
All structural parts (sections, triangles, connecting rods, etc.) are calculated through fatigue analysis using finite element method (FEM) numerical simulation. The prototypes are cycled on a fatigue test bench (TEC) that is specially developed to simulate and guarantee a longer average service life than that of a concrete truck. 

The boom with Z opening is also suitable for work in confined spaces, even indoors. The letter Z specifically refers to its shape once opened. The standard configuration of CIFA machines, with booms reaching up to 36 metres, allows them to be opened by initially moving the first section and then the following sections in succession and in a highly intuitive manner. The Z configuration is extremely user-friendly, even for less experienced operators, and can be positioned in no time at all, in addition to having a low minimum opening height, which makes it ideal for indoor use. In addition, for vertical operations, the Z configuration allows the booms to be extended as far as possible without compromising performance.

As booms became increasingly longer and more sections were added, CIFA developed new opening systems designed to make the machine compact and easy to manoeuvre. The position of the R indicates which section, among the sections of the boom, creates the 180° working range (1st section, 2nd section, etc.) when it is being opened. This kind of opening is especially effective when the boom is extended horizontally, since it makes the most of the length of the boom while ensuring stable and precise operation. The ZR configuration makes it possible to open the boom by keeping the third section very low and parallel to the ground when special positioning is required or for operations that involve passing through openings.

The rotor placed between the penultimate and last sections avoids any constraint when moving between these sections, thereby increasing the range of possible operations. The rotating angle is 360°, which means that there are no limits as with the K36L-5 model, which is the ultimate blend of lightness, versatility and technological innovation.

CIFA has consistently delivered innovation by striving to make complex operations much easier and, ultimately, safer. The automatic boom opening and closing system is indisputably one of the greatest accomplishments of the CIFA R&D department. Automatic opening and closing is a valuable ally, particularly for very long booms with 6 to 7 sections, which translates into substantial time savings when opening (the opening sequence is reduced by nearly 40%), increased user comfort, and the reassurance of always having the best possible opening sequence.

That of sprayed concrete is a special world: the tasks to be carried out by these machines are always unpredictable and are often rather complex. CIFA has therefore developed some truly innovative designs for the placing booms of the UNDERGROUND range. The ELK and MAMBA models can extend vertically up to 18 metres and horizontally up to 15 metres. They are mounted on a carriage with a ± 3 metre travel range, which allows them to reach the furthest points and do not require the carrier to be moved. The peculiarity of the ELK boom, which has three sections, is that it has two slewing rings: one horizontal and the other vertical, which makes it possible to utilise both positive and negative movement on the sections and to easily direct the nozzle so that it can get to the hardest-to-reach areas in tunnels. The Mamba has a boom with two telescopic sections with a rotating table between the first and second sections as well as a horizontal slewing ring. This configuration makes it versatile and easy to use, allowing for intuitive and quick operations. As for the more compact models, the CST has a two-section boom, one of which is telescopic with 3 extensions. Combined with the vertical slewing ring, this makes for a highly compact boom that is able to reach a maximum working distance of 10 metres and can be used in confined spaces. The DINGO machine is the most compact in the range and its boom is designed with this concept in mind: its two sections, one of which is telescopic with 3 extensions, make this solution extremely lightweight while offering excellent mobility and sturdiness.