New universal industrial prefabrication system launched

Presented for the first time at bauma 2019, the international trade fair for construction machinery in Munich, SiPiU received great feedback from visitors, consultants, technicians and operators in the industrial and residential prefabrication sector. According to Bianchi Casseforme S.r.l., the system aims to solve all the design and assembly difficulties that have been encountered over many decades.

sipiu is a very simple constructive universal system, guaranteed by the patent filing, in order to protect the uniqueness of the system developed by Bianchi Casseforme S.r.l. The process of testing the system and obtaining the CE marking is in progress and will be completed by the end of this year in the accredited Research Laboratories at the “Politecnico di Milano”. sipiu will allow the mechanical connection of single precast elements to be jointed to any precast or non-precast structure, the system is designed to conform to all local regulations especially those in seismic areas.

Any construction project can be realized using this system, prefabricated concrete panels (solid / lightened / sandwich), steel-frame panels or other lightweight walls, in a load-bearing structure in reinforced or prestressed concrete.

The finishing to the buildings made using sipiu will not require any further patching and repairs besides the sealing of the adjacent joints between elements.
The sipiu-system was created in order to optimise the assembly process on site, using only mechanical connection and carried out "dry", minimizing the use of lifting equipment (cranes) and consequently the construction times of the assembly teams. The use of additional concrete castings on site has been reduced to a minimum.

The main innovations introduced by the system are:
• Millimetric precision within prefabricated concrete projects,
• Standardise the connection details of precast wall elements,
• Achieve a mechanical connection with a large dimensional tolerance (± 21mm),
• Easy to use and does not require special instruction or training.

sipiu system proposes a “do-it-yourself” vertical joints between the panels or the structures, with the addition of simple steel links/stirrups to increase the connection strength, already used extensively on site.
In addition to the galvanized steel construction elements, magnetic plastic boxes are also an integral part of the system, reusable, thanks to the disposable (single use) aluminium “Void formers” shape that will cover them, which will be the only consumable to be considered.

With the use of silicon sealant guns, the application of silicon will guarantee the seal between the panels, the grout injected from below, allowing the air to escape, thus ensuring the total filling of the cavities created in the junctions, between the different combinations of the prefabricated structures to be joined.

Bianchi Casseforme Srl is able to provide turnkey solutions, including different types of shuttering/formwork and casting dividers already set up with the negative imprints of the slots needed for the sipiu magnetic locking system, in addition to the different types of fixing and lifting sockets, with hole or wavy tailed combined with magnetic socket holders.

While developing the sipiu, Bianchi set themselves the goal of satisfying the most demanding customers, active in the precast concrete industry, interested in a system with these features.

sipiu system can also be integrated into the general construction industry, which can thus definitively introduce in precast concrete to their production chain. sipiu is adaptable to suit any architectural / engineering project where the logic of the panel in precast concrete, with supporting or hanging structure is accepted.
In summary, sipiu aims to transform prefabricated or traditional construction, trying to simplify and speed up processes, mechanizing them, reducing the number of workers required on site and consequently the risks associated with their safety, reducing the time required to assembly and the need for skilled labor, making the assemblies as automatic and intuitive as possible.
Each piece that makes up the system will be equipped with assembly diagrams and identification codes.

The sipiu-system has also been designed to minimize the amount of material to be transported, further reducing the costs of the finished building.

Finally, sipiu proposes itself to the market as a system that wants to accompany the customer in the various stages of construction of a prefabricated building of any quality level (from low cost housing to valuable buildings), from design to production, through assembly and care in the connections between the elements.