Contractors trialling Topcon Positioning Systems? 3D-MC2 system in both the US and in Australia have reported productivity increases of twice that of conventional 3D GNSS-based machine control systems, and up to four times that of dozers not using machine control.
According to Murray Lodge, the vice president of construction for Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) in the US, contractors have been able to operate their dozers at twice the normal grading speed, while achieving ?incredible accuracy and smoothness? in a variety of applications.
?Topcon?s 3D-MC2 is a unique technological innovation,? said Murray. ?We call it our 4-3-2-1 advantage. Four times faster than a standard dozer. Three times smoother than any other machine control system. Twice the speed of any standard 3D machine control dozer system. One dozer doing the same work as two standard 3D machine control dozers.?
The technology driving the 3D-MC2 combines advanced high-precision hydraulic control software, the latest in inertial sensor technology and the industry?s leading multi-constellation GNSS receivers to provide more than 100 blade position checks per second. This is around five times higher than standard machine control systems.
?This is not a technology that just any company can do,? said Murray. ?Any company can use sensors and think of the concept of getting a dozer to go faster with increased accuracy.
?What?s different here is that Topcon developed a combination of advanced algorithms, satellite signal filters, revised arithmetic formulas and the scientists and engineers at our global technology centres around the world ? including in Brisbane, Australia ? working together, to accomplish yet another world-first construction development.?
Murray Lodge said Topcon was the first machine control system supplier to offer contractors the option of going stringless at every phase of the job using 3D GPS machine control systems.
?It now is the first company to combine the best science and engineering has to offer to break through the last barrier of construction productivity ? speed,? he said.
?With Topcon?s GPS + GLONASS technology, productivity was dramatically increased due to precise positioning and accuracy.
?Now, with 3D-MC2, increasing the dozer speed and improving the accuracy and grade smoothness adds additional savings in time and money on every job,? he said.
?3D-MC2 allows a single 3D dozer to do the heavy work of two 3D dozers, all the way through to a final cut that compares favourably with the speed and smoothness of a grader.
?Think about the savings in time and equipment alone on every job. 3D-MC2 guarantees that a contractor saves time and money on every job, on every pass.
?This technology literally changes the way contractors will look at the finish grading process, and the role of small and mid-size dozers. 3D-MC2 is what it says, that is, three-dimensional positioning at twice the speed and twice the accuracy over any machine control system today.?
Murray said that 3D-MC2 would deliver more work in less time, with many flow-on benefits.
?That means less wear and tear on the machine, less operating time on individual jobs, less fuel usage, and most importantly, more time to spend working in other areas to complete jobs ahead of schedule.
?But the primary benefit of having the option of being able to grade twice as fast as normal will give contractors an incredible competitive edge.
?If a contractor can use a single dozer on a job instead of two and do the same amount or more in less time ? that will result in true savings that are easy to measure.?
Source: Position Partners/Spitfire Communications