Connected Construction

Trimble is offering a new version of its Trimble GCS900 grade control system designed for use with milling machines. The new package allows contractors using planers for road repairs to achieve material savings and increased road smoothness during the ensuing paving operation. By controlling the cutting depth of a milling machine accurately, a contractor is less likely to make an overcut in the areas being repaired and as a result, is less likely to require additional asphalt or concrete when paving the new

Automatic 3D machine guidance is a highly sophisticated area and a high level of expertise is often required to ensure applications of the advanced technologies work as desired. Fugro is a specialist firm that has gained experience using 3D guidance tools over many years and for certain tricky projects, Hexagon, the parent of Leica Geosystems, has turned to Fugro for assistance. For one difficult job in particular, Fugro's specialists were brought in at the request of an Icelandic contractor. The project ca

Topcon says that its new IP-S2 package combines GNNS positioning capabilities with inertial sensors, while the firm also has a solution for customers wanting to mix and match receiver components. The IP-S2 is a vehicle-mounted, mobile 3D tool that offers precision mapping and surveying capabilities. The package collects data using 3D laser scanners, LIDAR, and/or cameras, and this is then integrated, time-stamped and geo-referenced. The customer can use this assembled data to combine LIDAR point cloud and d

Integrating Caterpillar's latest machine guidance and asset management tools offers efficiency gains for contractors in a competitive market. Mike Woof reports Caterpillar has been a leader in the development of GPS machine control systems through its partnership with Trimble. The manufacturer has rolled out a series of AccuGrade packages for various machines in its line-up, starting with the dozers and graders and then spreading to other machines such as scrapers, excavators and soil compactors. Caterpilla

The latest compaction technology offers users the benefits of more accurate performance by combining heat detection and compaction metering with GPS In Europe several leading manufacturers now offer more accurate compaction technology, with Ammann, BOMAG, Dynapac and Hamm all having developed advanced control packages. The technologies vary widely but the advantages are broadly similar, with smart compaction allowing the user a greater degree of control over the compaction process and delivering major reduc

Birse has used two machine control systems on the A14 project in the UK, one GPS-controlled to provide excavators with a +/-30mm accuracy and a second system which used a Trimble UTS as control on a grader to achieve +/- 5mm - well within the Highway Agency's sub-base tolerance of +10/-30mm. This meant that when it came to the asphalt surface, Birse agreed a thickness and Lafarge, the blacktop contractor, let the paving machine run instead of the operators constantly making manual adjustments. At the end of

GPS systems for machine control can make massive reductions in operating costs for contractors. Using GPS systems for machine control can make massive reductions in operating costs for contractors and the pace of technology improvements from manufacturers has been rapid. This market segment is dominated by Leica Geosystems, Trimble and Topcon, all of which introduced an array of new products earlier this year. Topcon's dozer control system first seen in public at the Intermat show in Paris, offers notable c

Widening the busy A4 road in Switzerland to four lanes was achieved quickly by using the latest paving technology. Increased traffic required the widening of the A4 from two to four lanes along a 20km section, with two lanes separated by a central divider in each direction. Carrying 20,000-25,000 vehicles/day, the trunk road between Winterthur and Schaffhausen was one of Switzerland's busiest two-lane stretches, and as a result, the Federal Council of Switzerland in Bern planned an enlargement of the dual-l

Leica Geosystems is broadening its surveying range with the introduction of three aluminium construction tripods. The two mid-range tripods, the CTP104 and CTP104D, can cope with tough conditions on site and are designed for use with Leica Geosystems levels, lasers and construction theodolites. Both employ quick-release clamps for fast stable setups. The high specification CET103 elevating tripod has an adjustable column with 300mm crank stroke and an additional telescope column for 660mm extension. Minimum

Leica Geosystems says that its CI-14 CAT Interface Module cuts installation time when fitting its 2D & 3D machine control systems to Caterpillar off-highway machines. Using the CI-14 package is said to eliminate the cost and effort of installing add-on hydraulic valves when fitting control tools from Leica Geosystems to Caterpillar K and T Series dozers and M Series graders. The CI-14 system can be used in conjunction with laser, slope, ultrasonic or 3D GPS/GNSS as well as the Leica PowerTracker total stati