Equipment World

December 2017

Equipment World Digital Magazine

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December 2017 | EquipmentWorld.com 58 highway contractor | continued Topcon ZPS concrete paver automation Topcon's ZPS Concrete Paving System is a robotic total station that operates using less hard- ware than a traditional local positioning system or LPS. The system's Z-Robot uses what Topcon calls Z-beam laser technology for tracking and guidance. The Z-beam provides opti- cally based vertical control in addition to maintaining horizontal accuracy across the paver, which the company says cuts setup time in half. And the Z-robot eliminates the need for multiple robotic total sta- tions to control the paver and another set of instruments for downrange transitions. On the paving machine, the Topcon Z-stack modular system integrates GPS, optical targeting and Z-beam reception into one unit or "stack." The system does not require a sep- arate base station and needs only one cable for power and connectivity. It also offers a wider working area – up to 150 feet more than traditional methods. Philippi-Hagenbuch's new concrete planer cuts energy consumption Philippi-Hagenbuch's new truck products include the Rolling Wedge Concrete Planer, which the company says can reduce energy consumption by up to 80 percent. The Rolling Wedge does this by putting rock under tension, which reduces energy consumption by 80 percent from tradi- tional planers when breaking through the material, the company says. The 2.5-foot-wide device can be mounted on rough-terrain forklifts, loaders or related equipment. The planer also comes in wider sizes and works with the machine's hydraulics. It requires a 40 to 45 gpm flow at 2,500 psi. The device reduces the cost and increases speed for filling potholes, the company says. The cutters are made of hardened steel with carbide tips. The ¾-inch material cuttings produced by the machine can be reused for road base. The planer easily cuts to 3 inches deep and has options available for deeper cutting. The depth is controlled by adjustable shoes on each side of the machine, allowing it to plane at an angle or flat. Paver Assist an added feature on Volvo VHD truck Volvo Trucks has added a feature that allows the paving operator to go di- rectly from neutral to drive without a service brake application. The com- pany has added auto-neutral and Paver Assist features to its I-Shift for Severe Duty, and I-Shift with Crawler Gears automated manual transmissions. Auto neutral and Paver Assist mark the latest Volvo VHD updates centered on the capabilities of I-Shift, an automated manual transmission (AMT). Volvo says auto neutral can help improve jobsite safety in many applica- tions, including concrete mixers, when remote throttle is often used. The feature helps reduce the possibility of the truck moving as a result of inad- vertent throttle application by placing the I-Shift transmission into neutral when the parking brake is set.

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