Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/946503
EquipmentWorld.com | February 2018 39 want to see machine control technology in action on somebody else's machine before they commit to it, or else they misunderstand. "There are a lot of people who think that 3D machine control is just a switch that you flip and then everything just runs automatically. That's not the case. Contractors must not only commit to learning the technology, but once you start using construction technology on a jobsite, the way you do business chang- es along with it. And that requires com- mitment and some ongoing education." Laubhan cites the success of a con- tractor handling a major reconstruction of Reef Runway at Honolulu Interna- tional Airport in 2013. The contractor was originally go- ing to reconstruct the runway – 12,000 feet long by 200 feet wide – without machine control technology, but real- ized soon after starting they wouldn't complete the job on time or within specifications. They would face FAA penalties of $240,000 for each day the work extended past the deadline. So the contractor, Jas. W. Glover Ltd., called a local Sitech dealer and invested in 3D machine control. "They embraced the technology," Laubhan says. "They trusted it. And they ended up doing really, really well on this particular job." Turning to dealers for support Trimble sells aftermarket systems for a variety of paving equipment. Some paving machines come from the factory "Trimble-ready" with certain brackets and sometimes cabling. PCS900 is Trimble's 3D machine con- trol technology for paving equipment. Its PCS 400 is a 2D machine control for asphalt pavers only. 2D paving is referred to as "ground up" paving, where the screed of an asphalt paver is automatically controlled to place material at certain grade (thick- ness) and slope over a base layer of material. In 2D paving, the smoothness of the paved surface will be influenced by the subsurface. "We're essentially mimicking the surface that we're pav- C ontractors should look for a solution that meets their individual needs, says Devin Laubhan of Trimble. This involves recognizing your pain points in the paving pro- cess, he says. Here are a few questions to consider: Identify your pain points: • Is it navigating stringline? • Is it paving in tight spaces? • Is it trying to meet an elevation? • Is it trying to achieve ultimate smoothness on a road? And what is my end goal? Looking at pain points