01 Engineering case study
Compressed Air Foam Systems / Mechanical & Mechatronic Product Engineering
A modular family of mobile and skid-mounted CAFS units engineered around compact packaging, pressure-system integration, structural support, and practical field deployment.
02 Project overview
SIEDRAK developed a family of modular Compressed Air Foam System concepts integrating pressure equipment, liquid storage, hose management, dispensing hardware, structural frames, and operator-access features into compact, transportable product architectures.
Multiple configurations were explored to address different capacity, footprint, protection, and deployment requirements. The work treats each unit as a mechanical and mechatronic product-development project, not simply an arrangement of components.
CAFS introduces compressed air into the foam solution before discharge. A functional package therefore requires coordinated integration of storage, pressure control, valves, gauges, piping, hose management, dispensing hardware, structural frames, and operator interfaces.
03 Product family
The concept family ranges from compact skid-mounted systems to protected units, integrated tank platforms, and vertically packaged equipment.
04 Project challenge
The central challenge was to package several mechanical and fluid-system components into a compact, stable, serviceable, and transportable architecture.
Components had to remain accessible while pressure hardware stayed protected. Tanks and cylinders required stable support, major masses needed a manageable footprint, and the final assembly had to read as one coherent engineered product.
Engineering objectives
05 System architecture
Every subsystem is positioned in relation to structure, access, protection, operator use, and the equipment around it.
The primary tank is a major reference component for packaging, weight distribution, structural frame design, equipment access, and overall system dimensions. The surrounding assembly is organized around stable support and practical connection access.
Dedicated cylinders and compressed-air hardware require secure retention, impact protection, accessible valve positions, supported mounting, and clearance around regulators and fittings. Vertical cylinder arrangements were explored to reduce footprint while preserving access.
Regulators, gauges, control valves, manifolds, and fittings are positioned where operators can inspect and adjust them. Protective geometry is coordinated with clear access to the primary pressure-control hardware.
Integrated hose reels organize storage and deployment while limiting interference with adjacent components. Reel supports are considered as structural elements that must react the loads created during hose deployment and retrieval.
The pump and dispensing assembly is packaged within a protective tubular frame to improve handling, protect components, define mounting points, and simplify service removal.
The skid is the mechanical foundation for tanks, cylinders, pumps, hose reels, guards, pressure equipment, and accessories. It also creates clear interfaces for transport, installation, securing, and possible vehicle or trailer integration.
External frames and cages define service zones, add impact protection, improve handling, and create stronger mounting interfaces for demanding industrial or emergency-response environments.
06 Design variants
The horizontal equipment module integrates twin compressed-air cylinders, primary storage, pressure-control hardware, gauges, a hose reel, dispensing hardware, tubular guards, and a compact skid base.
Design intentionA compact, self-contained architecture where the main operating components remain visible and accessible within a relatively small footprint.
The tall primary cylinder, hose storage, dispensing hardware, equipment enclosure, auxiliary bottle location, and protective housing are organized vertically to reduce the required footprint.
Design intentionAn alternative packaging strategy developed for installations where available floor area is limited.
A large horizontal tank is coordinated with a secondary pressure vessel, regulator and gauge assembly, pump module, structural tank supports, and a fabricated skid base as one transportable assembly.
Design intentionA higher-capacity architecture that keeps the main equipment masses low while placing operating hardware toward the accessible side of the system.
The integrated tank layout is surrounded by a larger protective structure that defines operator access, provides additional mounting surfaces, and visually unifies the complete assembly.
Design intentionA more industrialized architecture for handling, protection, and deployment in demanding operating conditions.
07 Key features
Multiple configurations developed around one CAFS engineering philosophy.
Packaging for cylinders, regulators, gauges, tanks, valves, and associated hardware.
High component density without sacrificing critical access.
Layouts organized around inspection, maintenance, and component replacement.
Integrated frames support tanks, pumps, cylinders, and operating hardware.
Architectures shaped by transport, handling, protection, and practical setup.
08 Engineering development
Engineering geometry and product visualization were developed together to communicate both component integration and the complete industrial architecture.
The product family uses a consistent industrial language of red primary equipment, metallic surfaces, dark structural frames, exposed engineered hardware, organized tubing, visible instrumentation, and robust forms. The intent is a purpose-built product rather than unrelated components placed on a generic frame.
Component envelopes were coordinated so hose reels can rotate, gauges remain visible, valves stay accessible, tanks and cylinders are supported, fittings remain clear of frame members, and air and fluid lines can be routed practically.
Skids and frames create stable load paths for tanks, cylinders, pumps, hose assemblies, brackets, and operating forces. Concepts consider practical fabrication through welded rectangular tubing, sheet-metal brackets, formed panels, bolted mounts, equipment plates, and structural cradles.
Regulator access, gauge visibility, cylinder removal, hose-reel access, pump servicing, fitting inspection, tank connections, and valve access were considered to limit unnecessary disassembly during maintenance.
The core architecture can adapt to capacity, installation space, vehicle or skid integration, storage needs, mobility, cylinder count, and operator-access requirements while retaining common functional principles.
The project was developed as complete 3D mechanical assemblies to study equipment layouts, structural geometry, tank supports, hose reels, cylinder mounts, control access, clearances, service space, transport footprint, and visual integration before fabrication.
09 SIEDRAK role
The project established complete 3D assemblies and coordinated layouts as a foundation for detailed selection, validation, prototyping, DFM, and production documentation.
Potential applications
Final technical specifications are configuration-dependent. No pressure rating, capacity, flow rate, certification, compliance approval, or performance claim is stated without verified engineering data.
10 Project outcome
The project resulted in a family of visually and mechanically coordinated CAFS equipment architectures capable of supporting different capacity, packaging, protection, and deployment requirements.
The concepts demonstrate how tanks, hoses, regulators, pumps, pressure equipment, and structural frames can become a coherent engineered product platform. The work provides a foundation for detailed component selection, fluid-system definition, structural validation, prototype fabrication, testing, DFM refinement, and production documentation.
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