Introducing Our Automatic Free Fall Piling System
We're pleased to introduce the latest addition to our piling fleet — a fully automatic free fall piling system, designed and built by our sister company, Noakes Engineering. This new system was first deployed on site in Warminster, Wiltshire, marking a significant step forward in the efficiency and precision of our driven piling operations.
The automatic free fall piling system was developed entirely in-house by Noakes Engineering and is proudly made in Britain — combining advanced digital control technology with the reliability our clients expect on site.
What is an Automatic Free Fall Piling System?
A free fall piling system works by raising a drop hammer to a set height and releasing it under gravity to drive a pile into the ground. The automatic element is the key advancement here — rather than requiring manual intervention between each blow, the system uses a digital control interface to automate the raise-and-drop cycle consistently, blow after blow.
This delivers a number of practical benefits on site: greater consistency between hammer blows, reduced operator fatigue, improved health and safety, and faster overall cycle times. The digital control screen also allows the operative to monitor and adjust parameters in real time.
Designed and Built by Noakes Engineering
Noakes Engineering is the manufacturing and engineering arm working alongside Advanced Mini Piling Systems. Their team designed the automatic free fall system from the ground up, focusing on the specific demands of mini piling operations — compact enough to access restricted sites, yet powerful and precise enough to perform to the highest standard.
The rig's digital control screen is central to the automatic system, giving the on-site operative full visibility of the hammer drop sequence, blow count, and operational settings. It's a clean, intuitive interface that makes the system straightforward to use without compromising on capability.
First Use on Site: Warminster, Wiltshire
The system made its operational debut at a project in Warminster, Wiltshire. Our experienced operative worked with the new rig throughout the visit, and the system performed exactly as intended — delivering a controlled, efficient piling sequence with the consistency that automatic operation brings.
See It in Action
Watch the system running through its automatic cycle on site in Warminster — from hammer raise through to blow delivery — in the video below.
Automatic free fall piling system in action — Warminster, Wiltshire
The Future of Our Piling Fleet
This automatic free fall piling system represents an exciting development in what we're able to offer on driven piling projects. The combination of Noakes Engineering's manufacturing expertise and our on-the-ground piling experience means the system has been built around real-world requirements — not just theoretical ones.
We look forward to deploying the system across more projects and continuing to develop the technology further in collaboration with Noakes Engineering.
If you'd like to know more about our driven piling services, or to discuss whether this system is suited to your next project, please get in touch with the team.
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