Retractable bollards, parking bollards

An attractive, space-saving way to control vehicle access is with automatic rising bollards. When retracted into the ground, they are easy for passers-by to overlook, as their presence is indicated only by a base plate measuring a few tens of square decimetres.

For automatic rising bollards are a great complement fixed bollards, which cannot be retracted and are permanently fixed into the ground. This lets you create an attractive line of bollards separating the road from the protected area, with one or perhaps two retractable bollards, so that at first glance they all look the same.

A more economical alternative to automatic bollards is semi-automatic bollards as well as fold-down/removable bollards. Naturally, this comes at the expense of convenience, since semi-automatic bollards need to be operated by hand.

Our range includes the following products, all available on this page:

Automatic hydraulic rising bollards
Semi-automatic bollards
Semi-automatic bollards with sockets
Removable and fold-down bollards
Fixed bollards
Control units for rising bollards
Bollard accessories
About Meccanica Fadini

Automatic hydraulic rising bollards

They are ideal automatic hydraulic rising bollards primarily for preventing unauthorised vehicles from entering a car park. They can also be used in combination with fixed bollards to separate a pedestrian zone from an area with vehicle traffic. For service vehicles, two bollards will be automatic, while the rest remain fixed. Heavy-duty models can serve as anti-ram barriers, protecting an area from vehicles crashing into a crowd, whether accidentally or deliberately. A popular application is protecting the entrance to a site, where the barrier rises and the bollard retracts into the ground in sync to allow vehicles to pass.

Our range includes bollards with diameters of 100, 200 and 275 mm, in heights from 500 mm to 1000 mm, available in galvanised steel with a coloured finish or in AISI 314 stainless steel (all models except CORAL and STRABUC). The TALOS 94 model is also available in AISI 316 stainless steel. All ground boxes for socket-mounted bollards are hot-dip galvanised.

Flashing warning LEDs can be built into the bollard head, which is also surrounded by reflective tape. For practically every model, you can choose whether to include warning LEDs and an electromagnetic valve. For most models, you can also choose between a cataphoresis-treated and painted finish or a brushed stainless-steel body, as well as yellow RAL 1028 or anthracite grey RAL 7016.

See the table for all available options:

Model	Diameter	Available heights	Wall thickness
CORAL	100 mm	500/600/800 mm	5 mm
VIGILO	200 mm	500/600/800 mm	4 mm
STRABUC 918	275 mm	700 mm	4 mm
STRABUC 930		700 mm	12 mm
TALOS 94		500/600/700/800 mm	4 mm
TALOS 96		500/600/700/800 mm	12 mm
TALOS M30		800 mm	12 mm
TALOS C730		1000 mm	12 mm
TALOS M50		1000 mm	20 mm

All bollards are designed for intensive use, with more than 2,000 operating cycles per day (approximately one cycle every 30 seconds). The maximum static load capacity is 20 tonnes when retracted and 1.5–1.6 tonnes (2.8 tonnes for TALOS M50) when extended. They have an IP67 water and dust protection rating and operate at temperatures from -20°C to 80°C. Some rising bollards can be supplied with an electromagnetic valve that causes the bollard to lower into the ground automatically if the power fails, allowing vehicles to pass (it must be pressed down with a foot to retract it fully). A 24 V power supply stabiliser is required in this case. Bollards with a standard valve must be manually released using the release key.

Technical specifications of the individual versions:

Model	Impact resistance	Weight	Raising/lowering speed
CORAL	150 KJ	86/90/104 kg	11,0 cm/s 12,0 cm/s
VIGILO	160 KJ	102/110/131 kg	10,0 cm/s 11,5 cm/s
STRABUC 918	280 KJ	140 kg	11,5 cm/s 12,5 cm/s
STRABUC 930	410 KJ	180 kg	6,0 cm/s 7,0 cm/s
TALOS 94	320 KJ 420KJ HRC	196/226/232/240 kg	23,3 cm/s 25,0 cm/s
TALOS 96	450 KJ 550 KJ HRC	234/258/263/288 kg	18,0 cm/s 23,0 cm/s
TALOS M30	700 KJ	291 kg	18,0 cm/s 23,0 cm/s
TALOS C730	750 KJ	360 kg	20,0 cm/s 23,0 cm/s
TALOS M50	2000 KJ	770 kg	20,0 cm/s 31,0 cm/s

Impact resistance can be significantly affected by the degree of soil compaction and soil density, the concrete used, etc. Some models are available in reinforced HRC versions for greater impact resistance. In the extended position, the standard bollard still extends more than 20 cm into the ground; the HRC version extends more than 40 cm. Impact resistance values given in KJ may not mean much at first glance. For a better idea, consider the following examples:

150 KJ corresponds to impact resistance against a 2.1-tonne vehicle travelling at 43 km/h

410 KJ corresponds to impact resistance against a 2.1-tonne vehicle travelling at 71 km/h.

750 KJ corresponds to impact resistance against a 2.1-tonne vehicle travelling at 93 km/h.

750 kJ corresponds to resistance to being breached by a 7.5-tonne vehicle travelling at 49 km/h.

2000 kJ corresponds to resistance to being breached by a 2.1-tonne vehicle travelling at 157 km/h.

2000 kJ corresponds to resistance to being breached by a 7.5-tonne vehicle travelling at 93 km/h.

Of course, it is important to bear in mind that an impact of this kind will damage the bollard, which will then need servicing. Every bollard can withstand at least some impact. As a rule of thumb, a bollard's resistance to damage can be estimated at around one third of its impact resistance in kJ.

Retractable bollard installation example:

Semi-automatic bollards

Semi-automatic bollards are a manually operated retractable bollard solution for preventing vehicle access. The bollard is raised and lowered using pneumatic springs. You can think of how they work as similar to raising and lowering an office chair: a pneumatic spring helps extend the bollard, and you press down on the bollard head to retract it. They are, of course, a little cheaper than the automatic version. They are particularly useful in places without a power supply. The downside is that the LED lights in the bollard head cannot be connected (although this is possible with the automatic version).

The following semi-automatic bollards are available, along with their visually matching automatic counterparts:

Model	Diameter	Height	Automatic counterpart
GASPO 252	200 mm	500 mm	STRABUC
TALOS 94	275 cm	500/600/700/800 mm	TALOS 94

Semi-automatic bollards have the same foundation box as automatic bollards, so they can be replaced with an automatic version at a later date.

Semi-automatic bollards with 230 V sockets

Bollards that work on the same principle as semi-automatic bollards, but have power sockets built into the bollard body.

A single model with two 230 V sockets is available:

Model	Diameter	Height	Wall thickness
GASPO 254	200 mm	500 mm	4 mm

Removable and fold-down bollards

These bollards serve as parking barriers and can be removed, making them particularly suitable for areas where they are used infrequently or where the bollard cannot be embedded deeply in the ground. They are no longer retractable bollards, although architecturally they belong to a similar category.

The removable bollards available here are designed to match the range of semi-automatic and automatic retractable bollards and fixed bollards:

Model	Diameter	Height	Visually similar to
VIMARI 2316	200 mm	500/800 mm	VIGILO, GASPO
STRAMARI 2320	275 mm	700 mm	TALOS 94, 96

The range also includes:

POSTO fold-down bollards, with a body made from 50x50 mm square steel, 920 mm high
and SIBLI 17 removable bollards, made from 120x120 mm square stainless steel and 780 mm high; their fixed counterpart is the SICU 18 bollard.

Fixed bollards

Non-removable bollards that serve as permanent barriers. The range largely mirrors the automatic retractable bollards, since in many installations several bollards are used: most are fixed, with one or two automatic bollards at designated locations.

Fixed bollard range:

Model	Diameter	Available heights	Wall thickness
CORAL	100 mm	500/600/800 mm	5 mm
VIGILO	200 mm	500/600/800 mm	4 mm
STRABUC 918	275 mm	700 mm	4 mm
STRABUC 930		700 mm	12 mm
TALOS 94		500/600/700/800 mm	4 mm
TALOS 96		500/600/700/800 mm	12 mm
TALOS M30		800 mm	12 mm
TALOS C730		1000 mm	12 mm
TALOS M50		1000 mm	20 mm

Fixed bollards and automatic retractable bollards have the same resistance to being breached.

The range also includes the SICU 18 fixed bollard, made from 120x120x5 mm square stainless steel and 780 mm high. Its removable counterpart is the SIBLI 17.

Control units for retractable bollards

Bollards are always connected to a control unit. Our range includes control units that can operate up to four retractable bollards. You can also connect each retractable bollard to its own control unit.

Accessories for retractable bollards and their control units

Obstacle detector: the bollard will not extend if something is resting on it; if it hits an obstacle, it will stop and retract.

Audible warning – beeps while the bollard is moving.

Emergency vehicle siren detector that automatically retracts the bollard.

Heating element for operating the bollard in temperatures as low as -40°C. A heating element can be connected to retractable bollards to maintain the minimum temperature required to heat the hydraulic oil in the bollard.

For installations with multiple bollards, a special control unit can be connected to configure a master and slave control unit for synchronised operation of several bollards.

Retractable bollards can be connected to traffic lights and induction loops, and operated using wired contacts, remote controls, card readers, keypads, GSM modules, Wi-Fi modules, smart devices, and more.

About the Italian company Fadini

Meccanica Fadini S.r.l is an Italian company founded in 1969, and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. In 1974, the company launched its first sliding gate operator, followed by its first retractable bollard model in 1991. Today, the company is a leader in hydraulic technology for operators. Its extensive site covers approximately 130,000 square metres in the Veneto region of northern Italy. The company's core principles are quality and a customer-focused approach. In addition to retractable bollards, the company offers a wide range of gate and barrier operators, together with all the necessary safety and control accessories.