CIFA, a full-line manufacturer of concrete machinery and equipment and a market leader in Italy, will be at bauma along with its Chinese parent group Zoomlion where it will unveil a broad range of equipment including some new and innovative concepts.

One such innovation that is expected to “take the world of concrete-making machinery by storm”, according to the company, is Energya 9, a hybrid concrete mixer that will radically change the operations associated with concrete transport, from loading the concrete at the plant to placing it on the site.

CSS-3 Evo ... an advanced version of Cifa’s best-selling shotcrete product range.

“This is a new concept in terms of design and performance, which is energy efficient and environmentally sustainable,” says a Cifa spokesman. “It combines a green design and low consumption with quieter operation and more savings, which means greater possibilities of movement.”

Energya 9 – described as the first plug-in truck mixer – comes with a 9 cu m drum, fitted with an electric motor driven by the latest-generation smart lithium battery unit. The battery can be charged during road transport by tapping into the diesel engine of the truck, or during the loading or downtime stage by plugging it into the mains power supply. During transport, the system also recovers energy during the vehicle-braking and drum slowing stages.

Other innovations that will be showcased at bauma include an advanced version of its Spritz CSS-3, new Carbotech truck-mounted pumps and a new topless tower crane from Zoomlion.

CSS-3 Evo
Cifa will put the spotlight on Evo, a more advanced version of its CSS-3 which is its best-selling shotcrete product range. It features four-wheel drive, a hydrostatic drive system with three steering modes, and a maximum speed of 27 kmph.

As well as a pumping unit with a flow rate ranging from 5 to 30 cu m per h, the machine has a three-section boom (with a 1.8-m telescopic section) mounted on a double-axis turret installed on a skid that traverses longitudinally by 3.7 m.

Compared with the preceding model, the Spritz CSS-3 features a new diesel engine, again supplied by Deutz, which complies with Step3-B standards, with a liquid cooling system and power increased to 82 kW, and CAN management (a protocol allowing electronic dialogue between different control units).

The driver’s cab has been improved, and has obtained ROPS-FOPS (Roll over/falling objects protection system) certification. The Uniflux admixture batching system has been enhanced, with a series of sensors that monitor in real time all the parameters needed to make top-quality shotcrete.

The CSS-3 can spray admixtured concrete into tunnels with a radius of up to 16 m, and boom opening only requires a height of 3.1 m.

To ensure stability under all working conditions, the CSS-3 is fitted with four self-levelling outriggers. The Spritz also comes with six powerful xenon headlamps that perfectly illuminate the working area in tunnels.

K39H pump ... the longest boom.

The main optional extra offered with the CSS-3 is an air compressor (supplied by Mattei) built into the control panel of the machine, which provides an independent air supply (11,500 l per min at 7 bar) for the Cifa Spritz.

Carbotech
Three years after the launch of the first two models (the K45H and K62H) in the Carbotech family of truck-mounted pumps with carbon boom, three new machines – each of which is a record-breaker – are to be presented to the public at bauma. These are the K80H pump, described as the most innovative and advanced model with the longest boom ever created at 80 m; the K39H pump, featuring the longest boom that can be mounted on a three-axle vehicle chassis; and the MK25H, the first Carbotech concrete pump.

With booms ranging from 25 to 80 m, Cifa’s Carbotech range for the European market is increasingly complete, and offers customers longer, lighter, stronger products.

Zoomlion pumps
Meanwhile, Zoomlion will be presenting a new topless tower crane model, the ZT180-8. Belonging to the new-generation product range, the crane has been developed with European technology in collaboration with Jost Crane.

This crane has a maximum lifting capacity of eight tonnes and a peak lifting capacity of 1.8 tonnes with a maximum boom length of 65 m. The maximum under-hook height in the standard configuration is 53 m. The 30-kW lifting winch which, like all the units on the machine, is fitted with a frequency converter, and allows 1.9 tonnes to be lifted at the rate of 80 m per minute. As a result of the new technology, which was also applied at the design stage, the assembly, installation, transport and maintenance stages are reduced, with a corresponding reduction in running costs.

The ZT180-8 is part of the new Zoomlion tower crane product range, mainly dedicated to markets with a particular interest in safety and quality. Each model belonging to the new product range (including the ZT180-8) is fully compliant with the EN 14439 standard, and is certified by TUV SUD. The product range comprises a total of 12 topless crane models, from 90 tonnes per m (maximum lifting capacity six tonnes) to 600 tonnes per m (maximum lifting capacity 32 tonnes).

Cifa has belonged to the Chinese industrial group Zoomlion since 2008 and has strong global sales and after-sales networks on all continents.

Cifa can be visited at Stand F9 905/2, outdoor area, at the fair.