Skip to main content

Smooth sailing for paving with Topcon’s SmoothRide

Topcon Positioning Group’s new road scanning solution SmoothRide can gather highway asset data at highway speeds with no need for lane closures, crash trucks or escorts. SmoothRide is a vehicle-mounted resurfacing solution for paving and milling projects. It uses a combination of core Topcon technologies designed to deliver the smoothest surface possible, while efficiently managing the quantity of material for each project.
April 14, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Topcon’s Jörg Velten with the RD-M1 scanning unit

7300 Topcon Positioning Systems’s new road scanning solution SmoothRide can gather highway asset data at highway speeds with no need for lane closures, crash trucks or escorts.

SmoothRide is a vehicle-mounted resurfacing solution for paving and milling projects. It uses a combination of core Topcon technologies designed to deliver the smoothest surface possible, while efficiently managing the quantity of material for each project.

With the new RD-M1 scanning unit, the system maps the existing surface elevations - with many more points captured versus what can be expected with traditional tools. This provides more accurate data needed to confidently estimate materials, as well as to form the basis of the final design surface.

The workflow consists of a vehicle-mounted road scan, existing and finish surface design, and machine control using GNSS with sonic tracker sensor guidance.

Once the road information is gathered, operators can use Mobile Master Office point data processing software to recreate the existing surface. Magnet Office with Resurfacing is then used to digitally create a high-resolution model of the required finished mat.

The resurfacing module allows operators to create a design using specific regulatory requirements such as minimum thickness, desired cross-slope, and overall smoothness.

The information is then passed onto a paver or milling machine to allow for variable depth paving to where it is required - with the result being a much smoother road as well as faster completion times, explained Jörg Velten, Topcon Construction’s European support manager.

All videosAll show news

Related Content

  • Optimising paving processes with Topcon
    November 21, 2019
    The use of sophisticated machine control technology is integral to delivering high quality and productivity for concrete paving operations
  • New racetrack benefits from new technology
    December 3, 2014
    The use of new technology has helped pave the way for a new US racetrack Saving construction costs and meeting tight tolerances, sophisticated technology has helped deliver a quality racetrack surface within tight time constraints. The National Corvette Museum (NCM) in Bowling Green, Kentucky, lies close to Interstate 65 and now features a brand new racetrack, constructed with the assistance of the latest machine control technologies.
  • Digital solutions for accurate road construction
    November 19, 2021
    Construction firms are now delivering roads that are more durable and feature better surface quality due to the use of digital measurement solutions. These technologies help to transfer target values into precise actual values on the ground
  • An improved paving control system is available from MOBA
    January 6, 2017
    MOBA is aiming to improve paving quality and cut contractor’s costs with its sophisticated heat measuring package for asphalt pavers, as well as its new sonic ski system. Called the PAVE-IR, this heat measuring system provides accurate temperature scanning and monitoring of mat temperature during asphalt paving. This can be documented for an entire project and allow contractors to optimise processes and verify the quality of paving work. Marketing manager Christine Seidel said, “The early generation system