Asphalt milling, paving & compaction

Caterpillar Paving has added the AP500E wheel-type asphalt paver to its Paving Products machine family. The AP500E, when equipped with the new AS4252C electric heat screed, has an operating weight of 16,145kg, and features a Cat C4.4 engine with ACERT Technology that is European EU Stage IIIA engine emission-compliant. It also offers dual operating stations with Advisor display, tilting consoles, high capacity cooling system, belt-driven generator, and a special material handling system with independent con

Existing tough competition will step up another gear with the launch of further new machines in the asphalt roller market, Mike Woof reports. The asphalt compaction equipment market is intensely competitive, with a number of major firms all fighting to boost market share. And with many major manufacturers having revamped ranges during 2010 and further new models now due, this rivalry is set to become tougher still.

Soil compaction BOMAG is pushing technological boundaries in the soil compaction sector with the market introduction of its giant 32tonne machines, which was shown in prototype/concept form at bauma in 2007. According to the firm the concept model attracted considerable interest and the company opted to develop the unit for series production. The new BW332 single drum roller is now the heaviest such machine on the market.

Using the latest paving technology has allowed contractors to carry out difficult projects Contractors in Germany and Italy have been able to carry out very difficult asphalt paving applications, using the latest machines from Vögele and Volvo Construction Equipment respectively. In both instances these projects benefited greatly from the use of the latest generation equipment and it is debatable as to whether such high quality results could have been achieved with older machines.

This year has seen a wide array of innovative additions to the asphalt paving market - Mike Woof reports. The worldwide asphalt paving market is both competitive and complex, with an array of important players jostling for position. At the same time, paving controls have taken a great leap forward with the development of accurate 3D systems that can use a combination of laser and GPS positioning. Leica Geosystems, Topcon and Trimble have all introduced new packages for the asphalt paving sector and these

Both soil and asphalt compaction technologies will see key advances in 2010, writes Mike Woof. With each phase of regulations coming into force for engine and noise emissions, as well as operator vibration, manufacturers have been forced to improve, upgrade and update their compaction machines.

A huge project in Oman will see a proposed new terminal at Muscat International Airport, which has been budgeted at US$1.17 billion, completed by 2014. It will have the capacity to handle 12 million passengers annually, and further expansions planned by The Ministry of Transport and Communication in three subsequent phases will ultimately boost the airport’s capacity to 48 million passengers annually by 2050.