Mechanical poker vibrators: drive unit, shaft and poker head

The drive unit runs on standard 230 V single-phase, and the shaft and head are chosen to suit the pour.

Swepac has PVD 600 and PVD 2000 in its catalogue. They have the same shaft lengths but are built differently in the areas that matter most in use: power, weight and how the head is attached.

The parts that go together

On both models, the handle on the drive unit has two positions: one for floor pours and one for wall and column pours. The cable is reinforced against bending, and a shoulder strap is included so that the drive unit can be carried around the pour site.

• The drive unit — the electric motor, with a quick coupling for changing the shaft
• The shaft — flexible, in lengths of 1, 2, 3 and 4 metres
• The vibrator head — the part that goes into the concrete, in various diameters

PVD 600: light, with a pendulum head

PVD 600 has a 600 W drive unit with built-in reduction gearing, and it weighs 3 kg. The drive unit runs at 4 400 rpm, while the vibrator head works at 12 000 strokes per minute.

The head has a pendulum function which, according to Swepac, gives minimal vibration in the handle and a low noise level during work. The user manual gives the hand-arm vibration as 6 m/s² according to ISO 5349. The shaft and head are supplied as one unit, with a head diameter of 28, 38 or 45 mm. So if you want to change the diameter, you change the whole unit via the quick coupling.

PVD 2000: more powerful and more flexible

PVD 2000 has a power output of 2.3 kW and a drive unit weighing 5.4 kg, with a housing of impact-resistant moulded plastic. Unloaded, the drive unit runs at 17 000 rpm. Under load, with the longest shaft and largest head, the speed is given as 7 000 rpm.

Here the head is a separate part. It unscrews from the shaft and can be moved between shafts of different lengths, and it is available in 25, 32, 40, 48 and 58 mm. This means the same drive unit can be used with heads from 25 to 58 mm.

The power is also worth considering when choosing the circuit. If other machines run on the same circuit, check that there is capacity for an additional 2.3 kW drive unit.

Mechanical or electronic poker

The product sheets for the PVD models do not state capacity or centrifugal force, but the user manuals do for the heads. For the PVD 600, the centrifugal force is 2 500, 3 900 and 4 500 N for heads of 28, 38 and 45 mm. For the PVD 2000, the capacity is given as up to 10 m³/h with a 25 mm head and up to 35 m³/h with a 58 mm head.

In practice, the difference is the power supply. The PVE wall poker runs on 42 V and is connected to an external frequency converter. If you want an electronic poker that plugs straight into 230 V, PVEL is the alternative: the converter sits in an IP 67 box on the cable, and the current draw is 1.9–4.8 A depending on the diameter. The PVEL 38 weighs 9 kg complete and is rated at 20 m³/h.

The mechanical drive unit is easy to carry — 3 or 5.4 kg — but the shaft and head come on top of that weight.

The shaft length

The shaft length determines how far the drive unit can be from the head. A long shaft reaches deep down into tall formwork, while a short shaft is easier to control in tight spaces.

With the PVD 2000, the same head can be moved between shafts. That way, several shaft lengths and a selection of heads for the same drive unit are all you need, instead of complete units in every combination.

When you contact us

Tell us what is being poured — floors, walls or columns — how dense the reinforcement is, and how deep the head needs to go. Also tell us how many people will be vibrating at the same time on site. Then we can see whether a mechanical poker will do, or whether several electronic pokers on a shared converter are a better fit.