Skip to main content

Topcon’s efficient Smoothride package offers high quality road resurfacing

The latest Smoothride system for road resurfacing from Topcon Positioning offers improved quality and efficiency for road construction. Ulrich Hermanski, vice president of Construction Business EMEA at the firm, said: “What we have in road construction, no-one else has.” The system combines sonic controls and GPS, providing high accuracy. The complete package includes road scanning technology that can be used to track road conditions and determine slope, gradient and wear. Hermanski said: “The thing that i
April 27, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Topcon’s Smoothride system offers effective resurfacing

The latest Smoothride system for road resurfacing from 342 Topcon Positioning offers improved quality and efficiency for road construction. Ulrich Hermanski, vice president of Construction Business EMEA at the firm, said: “What we have in road construction, no-one else has.”

The system combines sonic controls and GPS, providing high accuracy. The complete package includes road scanning technology that can be used to track road conditions and determine slope, gradient and wear. Hermanski said: “The thing that is different is the data collection and scanning for pointcloud data.”

This data can then be downloaded and analysed, with the system highlighting uneven or worn areas. A milling machine can then be used to remove the worn top layer of the roadway, with the milling drum following the data from the scan. Hermanski said: "With the data from the scanner, we can record the information, redesign the surface overnight and start milling the next morning.” This ensures that the drum leaves a smooth path on which the new road surface can then be paved.

The package is said to be simple to use and Hermanski concluded: “The only thing the contractor needs training on is for the scanning for the data collection.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Machine control developments from Leica Geosystems, Topcon, Trimble and Wirtgen in the slipforming sector
    July 1, 2013
    Machine control technologies were pioneered in the concrete paving sector with systems having been used for over 10 years. Leica Geosystems was the first of the machine control technology suppliers to offer these systems on concrete slipforming machines and has developed a strong position in this segment. However the company met resistance from some quarters in the construction market and specialist Karl Soar said that some contractors were very reluctant to give up using conventional stringlines. He said,
  • Machine and machine control innovations in concrete paving
    June 28, 2013
    Machine innovations and machine control advances are the latest news in the concrete paving sector - Mike Woof reports. While machine control systems were pioneered in the concrete paving market, continuous refinement of the technologies is offering major improvements for customers. Customers have a choice now of more than one supplier while the packages are said to be more user-friendly than before. And in addition, the systems themselves can be more closely integrated into the machines due to advances mad
  • Innovative GIS software offerings
    July 18, 2012
    The latest construction software developments can speed the construction process overall, Adrian Greeman reports Construction software is by its very nature a very fast moving technology, with new systems coming to the market almost continuously. There are some key developments however, such as major new product launches and market trends. One of the most important developments in the road design sector is the launch of the Bentley Systems V8i versions of its software, including its road design applications
  • Efficient asset management delivers
    April 25, 2013
    Maximising the economic benefit of infrastructure assets can be achieved through delivering better quality maintenance. Increasing utilisation of infrastructure follows on from those assets being in better condition. Clearly by tracking infrastructure condition closely, huge gains can be made in addressing technical issues before they become more serious and more costly, as well as minimising disruption. In UK city Birmingham, high resolution aerial photography from Bluesky is helping the city council under