At the construction site, the selection of concrete conveying equipment is directly related to the project’s efficiency, cost and final quality. When faced with the two solutions of concrete mixing and pumping integrated machines and concrete pumps, which one can better enhance transportation efficiency and optimize the construction process? This not only concerns the performance of the equipment itself, but also involves a precise judgment of project requirements, working conditions and overall benefits.
Concrete mixture pumps and concrete pumps, as core equipment in modern concrete construction, each possess distinct technical features and application advantages. This article will conduct a comparative analysis of these two types of concrete pumping equipment to help readers choose the equipment type that is more suitable for their projects and assist you in making a scientific choice that better meets the needs of your projects.
In the equipment selection stage of Concrete engineering, the confusion between the two terms “Concrete Mixture Pump” and “Concrete Pump” is very common. This ambiguity of concepts often directly leads to selection deviations and poses hidden dangers for the advancement of the project.
“Concrete Pump” refers to the concrete pump. Its core function is to transport the well-mixed concrete to the pouring operation surface under high pressure through the pipeline system. Its core function focuses on “transportation”, and it does not have the ability to mix concrete. It needs to be combined with a concrete mixing station or mixer truck to provide finished concrete.
The “Concrete Mixture Pump” (often referred to as the concrete mixing and conveying pump) is a compound equipment integrating “mixing” and “conveying”. It can directly input raw materials such as sand, gravel, cement and water into the mixing system built into the equipment. After the mixing is completed, the finished concrete is conveyed to the designated position through the pumping mechanism. It is more suitable for scenarios where raw materials are stacked on-site and stirring and conveying need to be flexibly completed.
This kind of selection error caused by confusion of terms not only increases the project cost but may also delay the construction period. Therefore, clearly distinguishing the functional positioning and applicable scenarios of the two before equipment selection is a key prerequisite for ensuring the efficient advancement of the project.
Large-scale pouring: If the project requires a large amount of concrete, pumps are a much faster choice than using unicycles.
Tight time constraints: Concrete pumps help ensure the project stays within its timeline.
Rugged site terrain: If the site terrain is uneven, rocky, or otherwise challenging to traverse, concrete pumps can simplify delivery.
Presence of obstacles: If site access is restricted, underground, indoors or at height, concrete pumps are crucial.
Lack of labour: Concrete pumps can reduce labour costs associated with employing large numbers of workers to transport concrete via wheelbarrow.
Need for precision: Concrete pump hoses can be directed precisely to wherever the material is needed.
Need for consistent flow: When constructing elements like slabs, foundations and retaining walls, continuously pumped concrete can prevent imperfections from forming within the concrete.
A trailer concrete pump refers to a mechanical device that conveys pre-mixed concrete that has been mixed through pipeline pressure. Its core function is pure transportation. It does not participate in the concrete mixing process itself. It is only responsible for delivering the concrete prepared by the mixing plant or concrete mixer truck to the designated pouring point by high-pressure pump.
According to their forms and characteristics, concrete pumps are mainly divided into two categories:
Concrte Line Pump/Stationary Pump: This is a fixed type of pump that requires manual laying and connection of delivery pipelines. Its advantages are long conveying distance, high pressure and low cost. It is particularly suitable for large-scale foundations, basements, hydropower DAMS and other working conditions that require long-term continuous pouring or ultra-high and ultra-long distance conveying. The drawback is that laying and dismantling pipes require a large amount of manpower and have relatively poor flexibility.
Truck-mounted Pump/Boom Pump: This is currently the most common form. It directly installs the pump on the truck chassis and integrates the famous hydraulic telescopic boom system. The operator can control the boom from the cab to flexibly cross obstacles and precisely transport the concrete to the operation point. Its advantages include strong mobility, rapid deployment, no or minimal need for manual pipe laying, and extremely high pouring efficiency. It is widely used in various civil buildings, factories, Bridges and other projects.
♦ Preparatory work: Fix the pump body on a flat ground, lay and inspect the conveying pipeline (ensuring it is sealed without blockage), debug the equipment, and set parameters such as pumping pressure and displacement according to the characteristics of the concrete.
♦ Material docking: The concrete mixer truck delivers materials to the site. It rotates at a low speed to ensure the concrete is evenly mixed and smoothly poured into the pump body’s feeding hopper. A dedicated person monitors the material level (not less than 1/2), and filters impurities to prevent pipe blockage.
♦ Core pumping: Start the equipment, and the hydraulic system drives the double pistons to move alternately, pressing the concrete into the conveying pipeline to form a continuous high-pressure conveying flow.
♦ Terminal pouring: Concrete flows along the preset pipelines (horizontal/vertical) and is ultimately precisely delivered to the pouring parts such as walls and floor slabs to complete the operation.
The concrete mixer with pump is a composite mechanical equipment that combines the functions of concrete mixing and pumping. It is not merely a conveying tool but also a small “mobile mixing plant”. Its core function is the integration of “feeding – stirring – pumping”. The equipment is equipped with a built-in mixing system. It sucks in raw materials such as sand, gravel, cement and water on site, mixes them evenly in its own mixing hopper, and then pumps them out directly without any transfer.
♦ Loading Materials
Sand, gravel, cement and other additives are fed into the hopper by loader or manually.
The built-in feeding hopper of the integrated machine can lift the aggregates and automatically pour them into the mixing drum, reducing the labor intensity of workers.
♦ Mixing
At the same time as or after the feeding, the control system will add water and admixtures to the mixing hopper in proportion. The stirring blades inside the mixing hopper start to rotate at high speed, thoroughly and evenly mixing the aggregates, powders, water and admixtures to form concrete with qualified slump.
♦ Conveying Preparation
After the mixing is completed, the concrete enters the pumping system through the hopper.
The operator checks whether the conveying pipeline is unobstructed and confirms that the pressure of the hydraulic system is stable.
♦ Pumping Operation
After the stirring is completed, the outlet valve at the bottom of the mixing hopper opens. When concrete enters the hopper, the hydraulic system of the equipment starts to work in coordination: the main cylinder drives the piston inside the conveying cylinder to move back and forth alternately. The S-tube valve switches rapidly and precisely between the two conveying cylinder openings.
♦ Concrete Pouring
The concrete conveyed out directly enters the formwork or pouring point and is suitable for parts such as foundations, floor slabs, and columns.
It can be operated in conjunction with a placing machine or hose to enhance the flexibility of pouring.
| Comparison Dimension | Concrete Pump | Concrete Mixture Pump |
| Working Principle | Transport, receive, and pump ready-mix concrete only | Mixing + Conveying: On-site mix and pump of concrete |
| Equipment Configuration | Pumping system, hydraulic system, delivery pipeline, boom | Stirring system + pumping system + batching system + feeding device |
| Source of Concrete | Relying on concrete batch plants or ready-mix trucks to supply concrete | Equipped with a mixer for on-site concrete production |
| Workflow | External concrete reception → pumping. Rely on collaboration | Feeding → Mixing → pumping. Complete independently |
| Equipment Cost | Lower price (limited functionality) | Higher price (multifunctional) |
| Land Area | Compact footprint, requiring only space for pump truck parking and pipeline operations | Large footprint, requiring additional space for raw material storage |
| Labor Demand | Concrete pump truck operator and receiver | One person can complete the creation |
Super strong pumping capacity: Utilizing a large-displacement hydraulic system and ultra-high pressure conveying technology, it ensures the continuity of construction with stable and efficient conveying capacity.
Multiple types to choose from: There are various types to choose from, such as drag pumps and boom pump trucks, which can precisely match all kinds of complex working conditions and are suitable for different construction scenarios.
Stable and durable:The use of special wear-resistant alloy materials has greatly reduced the probability of downtime due to faults.
Integrated design: Stirring and pumping are completed simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate leasing of mixers and manual transfer procedures, directly reducing equipment investment and labor costs.
Flexible adaptability: Compact in size, it can easily handle complex sites such as narrow construction sites and mountainous projects, solving the problem of ordinary equipment being “unable to enter or operate”.
Rapid production start-up: No need for multi-equipment coordination and debugging. Construction can start immediately upon arrival, shortening the project preparation time, accelerating the progress of the construction period, and recovering funds in advance.
The ideal application scenarios of concrete pumps:
Large-scale urban buildings: high-rise office buildings, large commercial complexes, residential communities, etc., projects that require high-intensity, high-quality, and large-scale continuous pouring.
Infrastructure projects: subway stations, airport terminals, bridge piers and columns, large-scale hydraulic facilities and other projects with extremely high requirements for the performance and supply stability of concrete.
The area covered by commercial concrete: any region close to commercial concrete mixing stations and with convenient transportation, pursuing a construction environment that is highly efficient and standardized.
The ideal application scenarios of the concrete mixture pump:
Construction in remote areas: rural roads, water conservancy and hydropower projects in mountainous areas, military projects in remote areas, etc. where the transportation cost of commercial concrete is too high or it is simply impossible to reach.
Small-scale or sporadic projects: self-built houses, small foundations, farmland water conservancy renovations, courtyard floors, ground hardening, etc. The total volume of concrete is small, and it is not economical to use mixer trucks.
Budget-sensitive projects: these are projects that have extremely strict cost control requirements and do not have very high demands for concrete grades, which can save considerable commercial concrete and transportation costs.
Special proportioning experiments: conditions where the proportioning needs to be frequently adjusted on-site for experiments or when pouring some special types of concrete.
Whether you plan to use concrete pumps or concrete mixture pumps to handle infrastructure projects, it is important to first assess your specific requirements and any challenges you want to overcome.
The following aspects need to be given special attention:
Material properties: Different types of concrete may require different pumping techniques and equipment configurations.
Pumping distance: The horizontal and vertical pumping distances determine the pumping capacity, pipeline layout and power configuration of the equipment.
Construction requirements: Based on the on-site space, pouring speed and continuous operation needs, select the appropriate pumping equipment to enhance construction efficiency and accuracy.
On-site environment: The accessibility of the site, the size of the space, traffic conditions, etc., all affect the selection and allocation of equipment.
Ask scale and volume: What is the total demand for concrete in my project? Is it necessary to pour continuously for a long time?
For large volumes and continuous operation, concrete pumps are preferred.
Small volume and scattered → Prefer the concrete mixing pump.
Ask about the location: Where is my construction site? Are there any commercial concrete mixing stations nearby? Is the road unobstructed?
City center, convenient transportation → Priority concrete pump.
In remote rural areas with inconvenient transportation, give priority to the integrated mixing and pumping machine.
Question about quality requirements: What are the requirements for the grade, performance and stability of concrete in the project?
High grade, high performance, and strict quality requirements → Concrete pumps (commercial concrete) must be selected.
General pouring requirements (such as C25-C30) → Both are acceptable, and the decision should be made based on other factors.
Calculate the economic account: Comprehensively calculate the cost of equipment rental/purchase, concrete material cost, transportation cost and labor cost to see which plan is more economical.
All in all, concrete pump and concrete mixture pump are two types of devices with complementary functional positioning. The former is a “professional conveyor”, relying on a modern concrete ready-mixed industrial system, pursuing the ultimate efficiency, quality and scale. The latter is the “multi-functional all-in-one machine”, which, with its high degree of independence and flexibility, fills the market gap that the pre-mixing system cannot cover.
There is no absolute good or bad in choices; there is only suitability or not. When purchasing conveying equipment, a thorough analysis of the specific requirements of the project should be conducted to make the wisest and most economical choice in the work.
EPDAS is a professional manufacturer of concrete mixture pumps and trailer concrete pumps. EPDAS is committed to providing customers with high-quality concrete mixing pumps and trailer concrete pumps to meet their needs, and offers professional after-sales service and support. Contact EPDAS for more information.
