In the field of construction, concrete placing machines are revolutionizing traditional concrete pouring workflows. These machines can effortlessly pour concrete in various scenarios, including vertical pumping in high-rise buildings, pouring concrete for bridge piers of cross-sea bridges, and continuous construction in underground utility tunnels.
Their unique conveying systems and flexible placement functions effectively address numerous technical challenges in traditional construction. Practical applications show that compared with traditional manual transfer and small mechanical work, concrete placing machines can not only achieve an efficiency increase of 3 to 5 times, but also control the construction accuracy at the millimeter level, significantly reducing operation risks and optimizing material utilization rates.
To help engineering professionals master the core concepts of concrete placing machines, we will start with a basic understanding of the equipment and then delve into its structural composition, types and characteristics, application advantages, and selection strategies, so that you can accurately select equipment in complex construction scenarios and improve project implementation efficiency.
In construction, concrete placing machines are important equipment that play a key role in connecting concrete production and pouring. They are the terminal execution part of pumping equipment such as concrete drag pumps and truck-mounted pumps, equipped with standard delivery pipes and flexible rotating boom systems.
Their function is to accurately and efficiently deliver concrete to various pouring points on the work surface, enabling continuous and uniform pouring operations, and solving the “last mile” problem in concrete delivery.
The concrete placing machine replaces traditional manual pouring methods with mechanized operations, reducing labor intensity. It also employs a precision control system to maintain pouring accuracy at the millimeter level, significantly enhancing construction efficiency and engineering quality.
In high-rise construction, concrete placing machines can achieve a single working radius of tens of meters, and when combined with concrete pumping systems, their efficiency is several times that of manual pouring.
In projects with high precision requirements, such as bridges and nuclear power plants, the placing machine ensures concrete is poured within the specified timeframe due to its stable conveying capacity and flexible working range, meeting the construction requirements of complex structural projects.
To understand the working principle of a concrete placing machine, it is first necessary to understand its main components. A complete placing machine typically consists of the following key structures:
The main beam frame serves as the core load-bearing structure of the concrete placing booms. It is fabricated using high-strength square steel and angle steel through welding, with a truss structure design based on precise calculations to effectively enhance overall rigidity and torsional resistance. Its base is securely connected to the rotating bearing seat via high-strength bolts, and in conjunction with high-precision rotating bearings, it enables 360° continuous rotation without any stuttering.
The front end is equipped with a modular pipe support system featuring quick-release pipe clamps for rapid installation and removal of conveying pipes. The rear end features an adjustable balancer that uses counterweight blocks of varying weights, combined with lever principles, to precisely adjust the center of gravity, ensuring dynamic stability during full-angle operations.
The base frame adopts a cross-shaped symmetrical structure design, with four main legs made of low-alloy high-strength steel, enhanced with box-section cross-sections to improve compression resistance and anti-overturning capability. Each leg is equipped with a hydraulic telescoping mechanism, with the extended leg capable of expanding up to 1.5 meters outward. Combined with adjustable leg pads, it can adapt to different foundation conditions, significantly enhancing the equipment’s stability in complex operating conditions such as slopes and soft soil foundations.
The bottom of the legs features anti-slip grooves and pre-drilled anchor bolt installation holes. When necessary, ground anchors can be installed for further reinforcement, ensuring the equipment remains stationary during heavy-load operations.
The rotating bearing, serving as the “joint” component of the concrete placer, uses a double-row, different-diameter ball-type rotating bearing, featuring high load-bearing capacity and low friction. Its inner and outer rings are fixed to the upper frame and base frame via high-strength bolts, with long-lasting lithium-based grease filled in the raceways, capable of withstanding composite loads including axial force, radial force, and overturning moment.
The built-in gear ring is connected to the drive motor reducer, enabling stepless speed adjustment from 0.5 to 1.5 rpm via a variable frequency speed control system. Combined with a high-precision encoder for real-time angle data feedback, this ensures position control accuracy of ±1° for the concrete placement.
The conveying pipeline system is manufactured from high-strength wear-resistant alloy steel, with the inner walls subjected to special quenching treatment, achieving a compressive strength of over 15 MPa, capable of meeting the high-pressure conveying requirements of various concrete pump trucks. The pipeline layout is designed based on fluid mechanics principles, utilizing a scientific combination of 90° and 45° elbows to effectively reduce concrete flow resistance.
Vertical pipe sections are equipped with anti-segregation flow guides, while horizontal pipe sections have seismic pipe clamps installed every 2 meters. The ends are connected to 5-meter-long wear-resistant rubber hoses, enabling 360° free swinging placement. The entire system uses quick-release flange interfaces combined with seal ring designs to ensure pipeline connection sealing and ease of disassembly and assembly.
There are many types of concrete placing booms on the market today. Concrete placing machines can be divided into several types according to engineering requirements. Each type has specific technical parameters and structural designs that can adapt to the special requirements of different construction scenarios. Currently, the three most widely used types on the market are as follows:
Stationary Concrete Placing Boom
The stationary concrete placing boom is a specialized concrete pouring and placing device designed and manufactured by EPDAS based on years of professional experience in producing concrete placing machines. It is specifically tailored for construction projects such as railway beam production sites and nuclear power plants, and has undergone continuous optimization and upgrades, making it a highly mature product today.
The fixed concrete placing boom is securely mounted at the construction site using a rigid support structure. EPDAS’s typical fixed placing machine has a maximum working radius of 13–31 meters and a pumping capacity of 60–120 m³/h, capable of meeting the pouring requirements of large-scale engineering projects.
The fixed placing machine offers significant advantages in terms of continuous operation capability and pouring efficiency, but its installation and commissioning are relatively complex, making it suitable for large-scale engineering projects with longer fixed construction periods.
Features of stationary concrete placing boom
♦ Features a fully hydraulic drive system equipped with high-strength alloy steel boom, with a standard placing radius covering 13-32 meters (excluding the 3-meter flexible hose extension at the end). Its hydraulic system consists of a main pump station, multi-way control valve assembly, and high-precision hydraulic cylinders, ensuring that each section of the boom can move independently and precisely.
♦ The stationary concrete placing boom adopts a pre-embedded installation design, quickly secured through pre-drilled holes in the floor slab without requiring additional support structures. Utilizing the tower crane for efficient climbing and transfer, a single climb can pour two floors, ensuring stable and reliable installation. Through the “fix-pour-lift” cyclic work mode, safe and efficient multi-story continuous pouring is achieved.
♦ Stationary concrete placing booms can achieve efficient coverage through a coordinated system of multiple tower bodies when working on large floor areas. When it is necessary to transfer the work area, simply move the boom to connect to the pre-set adjacent tower body to quickly complete the workstation switch, without the need to disassemble and reassemble the entire equipment.
♦ It is compact in structure, easy to use, safe and reliable, economical and practical, and suitable for construction projects such as high-rise buildings.
Mobile Hydraulic Concrete Placing Boom（Spider Concrete Placing Boom）
The mobile concrete placing machine, also known as the spider-type placing boom, features a “Z”-shaped three-section folding boom with 360° rotation, enabling all-around concrete pouring in three-dimensional space within the boom’s reach. It facilitates concrete pouring for various construction projects such as walls, pipes, columns, and pile foundations. With its stable and convenient features, it can be used in conjunction with a concrete pump to complete concrete transportation.
Compared to stationary placing booms, its mobility is improved by 80%, and installation time is reduced by 90%, making it an ideal solution for meeting the “short cycle, high precision” requirements of modern construction projects.
♦ No fixed base required, enabling rapid relocation as work progresses; can be easily transported to different pouring locations via forklift or crane.
♦ Constructed using high-strength lightweight alloy materials and a modular design, the machine has a compact overall size, occupying only 60% of the floor space of traditional concrete placing machines, with a total weight reduced by approximately 30% compared to similar products, and can be directly lifted and transported by existing tower cranes on-site.
♦ Equipped with omnidirectional wheels and a hydraulic steering system, it supports 360° free steering and on-the-spot rotation, enabling quick adjustment of the pouring angle in narrow construction spaces.
♦ Equipped with an intelligent electronic control system, operators can complete the entire process of boom extension, rotation, and tilt through the control panel, effectively reducing the risk of misoperation. Daily maintenance and repair costs are reduced by approximately 35%, offering outstanding cost-effectiveness.
Self-climbing Concrete Placing Boom
The self-climbing concrete placing boom is an intelligent pouring device specifically designed for core construction of super-high-rise buildings. It achieves autonomous climbing through an integrated hydraulic lifting system. Featuring a modular tower section design, it can be lifted floor by floor as construction progresses, with a single climb covering continuous pouring work for 3-4 standard floors.
Its autonomous climbing mechanism does not require crane assistance, making it particularly suitable for efficient concrete core tube construction in super-high-rise buildings over 300 meters tall. Compared to traditional methods, it can increase work efficiency by over 50%.
♦ Three operating modes: manual, wired remote control, and wireless remote control.
♦ Core components of the electrical and hydraulic systems use internationally renowned brands, ensuring high reliability.
♦ Two working modes available: floor-mounted and shaft-mounted.
♦ The rotating mechanism features three modes: constant braking, slow speed (during material distribution), and fast speed (during transfer), preventing accidents caused by improper human operation during high-altitude work.
♦ The boom has undergone multiple validations, including ultimate load analysis, dynamic analysis, and impact resistance testing, ensuring stable operation, long service life, and safety and reliability.
♦ Advanced remote control and electro-hydraulic proportional control technology are adopted, offering comprehensive functionality and flexible operation, with minimal hydraulic and directional impact, and smooth boom extension and retraction.
♦ Equipped with multiple safety devices, ensuring high safety, and using wear-resistant steel pipe materials, offering a long service life and low operating costs.
Different types of concrete placing machines play an important role in various construction scenarios. The following are some typical application cases:
1. Self-climbing placing booms in high-rise building construction
In the construction of super high-rise buildings, as the floors continue to rise, self-climbing placing machines, with their ability to climb independently, greatly improve construction efficiency without the need for frequent crane transport. In the construction of a 300-meter-tall office building, the self-climbing concrete placer gradually ascended along the elevator shaft, meeting the concrete pouring requirements for floor slabs and walls at each floor level.
2. Fixed-type concrete placing booms in bridge engineering
The pouring of concrete for bridge piers and beams in large-scale bridge construction demands extremely high precision and stability in concrete placement, making fixed-type concrete placing machines an ideal choice. In the construction of a cross-river bridge, fixed-type concrete placing machines installed near the bridge piers ensured the structural strength and construction quality of the piers through their stable operational performance.
3. Mobile concrete placing booms in small-scale construction projects
In small-scale residential construction, factory renovation, and similar projects, where workspace is limited and pouring points are dispersed, mobile hydraulic concrete placing machines can be flexibly moved to different work locations to quickly complete concrete pouring for foundations, columns, and other components.
Concrete placing booms demonstrate irreplaceable core value in modern construction, and their outstanding performance is mainly reflected in the following key advantages:
♦ Enhance efficiency and speed: Transport concrete quickly and efficiently, reduce manual operation time, and shorten project duration.
♦Precise pouring, superior quality
Through the flexible extension of multi-section booms, precise control over each construction point is achieved, ensuring uniform concrete distribution and enhancing structural quality.
♦ Reduce labor costs
It replaces the traditional manual handling of fabric pipes, reduces the number of construction workers and saves labor costs.
♦ Reduce the occupation of tower cranes
The independent operation of the placing machine reduces the need for tower crane assistance and improves the overall utilization efficiency of construction machinery.
♦Safer construction
Avoid the risk of manual handling of hoses at heights, especially significantly enhancing the safety factor in high-rise or complex terrain operations.
♦Adapt to various construction environments
Whether in confined Spaces, complex terrains or high-rise buildings, the fabricating machine can be flexibly deployed and easily handled.
♦The equipment can be reused
The fabricating machine supports transfer among multiple projects, has strong reusability and high economic benefits.
The concrete placing machine consists of a support device, boom, pipes installed on the boom, hydraulic drive device, rotating device, end hose, and control system. Its working process is as follows:
System connection: Before concrete pouring construction, the front end of the placing machine’s feed elbow must be precisely connected to the end of the concrete pump’s delivery pipe. This process requires a tight seal at the interface, typically achieved using specialized quick-connect fittings and sealing gaskets to prevent concrete leakage during pumping, thereby establishing a complete and reliable pumping system.
Concrete Conveyance: The drag pump uses the pressure generated by the reciprocating motion of the piston to pump the mixed concrete through the delivery pipes into the placing machine.
Precise Placement Operations: By controlling the hydraulic system of the placing machine, operators can perform composite actions such as multi-angle rotation of the boom, folding, and extension of multi-section booms. The hose at the end of the boom serves as the final output channel for concrete. Operators can flexibly adjust the placement position and height according to on-site pouring requirements, delivering concrete in a uniform and continuous manner to the designated pouring point.
Factors to Consider When Selecting a Concrete Placing Machine
Project scale and complexity: Large and complex projects may require self-climbing or fixed placing machines, while small and flexible projects are more suitable for mobile placing booms.
Construction site conditions: Terrain, space size, distribution of obstacles, etc. will affect the selection of equipment. For instance, narrow Spaces are suitable for compact spider-type fabricators.
Concrete pouring requirements: The pouring height, distance and volume determine the working radius and power of the concrete placing machine. High-rise buildings should choose self-climbing types, while scattered pouring points may need to be mobile.
Equipment compatibility: Ensure that the placing machine is compatible with existing concrete pumps and other equipment to avoid project delays caused by interface mismatches.
Budget considerations: In addition to the purchase cost, maintenance and operation expenses also need to be taken into account. High-end equipment requires a high initial investment, but it may be more durable and efficient.
Concrete placing machines are key equipment in modern construction. Different types—fixed, mobile, and self-climbing—are suitable for different scenarios and have their own advantages.When choosing, it is necessary to consider project requirements, site conditions, budget, and other factors to fully leverage their efficiency, precision, and safety features.
As a leading manufacturer of concrete placing booms, EPDAS has obtained EU CE certification for its outstanding product performance, and its products are exported to major markets around the world. We offer a full range of placing boom equipment and adhere to a manufacturing philosophy of “quality first,” refusing to engage in low-price competition.
EPDAS firmly believes that reliable construction performance is more important than low prices. We look forward to establishing long-term cooperative relationships with you through our high-quality equipment and professional services.
