Machine control

This year has seen a range of upgraded technology for road building applications launched by some of the biggest names in the machine control sector. Leica Geosystems's partnership with paver manufacturer Guntert & Zimmerman (G&Z), for example, has borne fruit with the introduction of version 7 of its PaveSmart 3D system for concrete paving applications.
Leica has produced a "plug-and-pave" interface for G&Z pavers that allows Leica's 3D stringless technology to communicate directly with G7Z's control system. The new version will now feature on all of G&Z's S600, S850 and S1500 mainline concrete pavers as well as its PS1200 placer spreader.
Meanwhile, Gomaco has introduced its G+ paver control software - the first slipform control system it has produced in-house. The modular G+ system includes smooth paving software which detects and eliminates any hits to the stringline and bumps from stringline knots or the rod.
The system can operate in multiple languages and is intuitively designed, featuring high definition bar graph meters to indicate machine deviation, assisting the operator in fine tuning both grade and steer performance.
And Trimble has now made its CCS900 3D compaction control system available for asphalt compactors. The company claims that the new system eliminates much of the guesswork involved in asphalt paving operations and helps achieve a more consistently compacted surface.
The system provides real-time temperature maps and pass count maps to avoid over or under compaction. Two infrared sensors mounted over the front and rear rollers can measure the temperature of the mat at the time of compaction, and the readings are relayed and graphically represented on the in-cab control box, indicating which areas should be compacted immediately.