The low volume is a philosophy of life. It does develop from the needs to treating the crop with the awareness that a the minimum environmental impact means a better quality of life.
More than 35 years ago this concept gave C.I.M.A. the inspiration to manufacture sprayers following the pneumatic nebulisation theory, whose principles are very simple: the water gets nebulised in tiny droplets that reach the crop using the air flow instead of getting sprinkled.

This can be obtained exploiting the 'Venturi Tube' physical principle which consists in creating an extremely strong air flow, conveyed through a tube and eventually ejected from appropriate constriction spot.
The pressure-less water is conveyed straight to the constriction centre and then nebulised through the air speed action.

The application of the principle above is the condicio sine qua non in order to produce pneumatic sprayers.
The great liquid nebulisation allows the air flow to spread around the mix drops in suspension.
The air flow reaches every part of the vegetation, including the most hidden areas, therefore the distribution is homogeneous and uniformed, this can also be verified by using a simple hydro-sensitive paper. The droplets, which have extremely small diameters, are fixed to the crop by the adhesion force and cover the surface like a protective and homogeneous pellicle, assuring a high quality and cost-saving treatment at every level.
In order to get an effective and appropriate crop covering, it is necessary to replace the air volume filled up by the crop with the one that has been treated. If the air flow goes through the foliage then the product will get there too!

It is traditionally acknowledged that the water has always been essential for an appropriate covering  of the crop. Its nebulisation in extremely tiny droplets is the only way to allow an homogeneous distribution of active principles on vast crop surfaces.
The unit of measurement of the diameter of the droplets obtained by the nebulisation is named  MICRON and corresponds to one-thousandth of a millimeter.

Historically the system used for sprayers and turbo sprayers was conventionally named NORMAL VOLUME and consisted in making the water going through one or more tiny nozzles under a very strong pressure. This method was used to realise portable pumps and pressure pumps, whereas the application of the 'Venturi Tube' is the condicio sine qua non to realise low volume sprayers.

Meticulous and appropriate technical monitorings made clear the relevant difference between the two droplets types generated from these two 'nebulisation' systems. The 85% of 'Normal Volume' (turbo sprayers) droplets have a diameter of 250/300 micron and this value would not change even by increasing the work pressure. The 'Low Volume' system generates a water haze made where the 90% of the droplets have a much smaller diameter (normally, with a correct regulation is around 100 micron).

This remarkable difference is crucial as it means that low volume sprayers, using the same quantity of water, can cover a considerably bigger crop surface. In other words, the low volume sprayers can cover the same crop surface as the normal volume sprayers but using much less water, that's where the 'LOW VOLUME' of water name comes from.   

The following diagram will examine a drop of water which is conveniently drawed squared shaped and whose side is 6 cm.

If we take the same square and divide it by four we get 4 squares each with a 3 cm side, getting a leaf contact line of 12 cm.

If we divide the same square by 9 we get 9 squares each with a 2 cm side and we get a leaf contact line of 18 cm.

1 l/ha with Ø 300 micron = 0,7 droplets per square cm
NORMAL VOLUME

1 l/ha with Ø 100 micron = 20 droplets per square cm
LOW VOLUME

It is important to note that the amount of CHEMICAL PRODUCT in the above example DOES NOT CHANGE regardless of the type of sprayer used. The amount of product to use to cover a specific area can be verified on the chemical tables and from the quantity of water used previously for the same area.

AT AN EVEN WATER VOLUME

AT AN EVEN TREATED SURFACE

NORMAL VOLUME
Sprayers - Air blast sprayers

LOW VOLUME
Pneumatic Sprayers

Pressure pump and nozzles

By current of air

Carried by high liquid pressure

Transported homogeneus with air

PARTIAL. Because of the dripping, only 75% of the chemical reaches the vegetation, while the remaining 25% falls to the soil.

TOTAL. As there is no dripping, all the chemical will be used. Theoretically, the mixture could have 25% less chemical. With the low volume pneumatic sprayer, the chemical treatment is applied to a specific area. Different distribution head can be used for various crops. The air flow can be directed and adapted for various shapes and requirements of different plants. The chemical is distributed evenly to the entire plant. CIMA has the widest range of heads all of which are intercangeable on most CIMA sprayers. This means a "real quality treatment for each crop".