Roadtec now offers enhanced and improved grade and slope control automation for its RX-500, RX-700, and RX-900 cold planers. Roadtec SmoothMill is an automation system designed solely for cold planers. The optional system features integrated connections and cabling, two dual control boxes for ground personnel, each capable of controlling both sides of the machine, and also provides the operator (driver) with a separate control box. The company says its goal was to increase ease of use and reliability.
Ease of use comes from being able to now simply plug controls into sockets conveniently located on the outside of the machine, and from combining right- and left-hand side controls into one box. Reliability has been increased by routing cables through protected areas rather than having them exposed at the outside. Control box and connector locations have been optimized for best performance and ground personnel ease of use. Two dual (right and left side) control boxes are supplied, one on each side of the machine. This allows ground personnel to easily control both sides from either side of the machine, depending upon conditions, without having to move boxes. The driving operator now also has his own automation controls atop the machine, the ground boxes being slaved to the operator’s controls.
Eric Baker, Roadtec Marketing Manager comments, “up until now the industry has sort of adapted paver automation and stuck them on cold planers. With SmoothMill Roadtec now offers its customers an automation package designed around a milling machine.”
Roadtec SmoothMill digital automation system features reliable, waterproof MOBA components. Automation greatly enhances smoothness of the milled surface and adherence to specifications by automatically adjusting the depth of cut depending upon pre-set requirements.
Roadtec manufactures cold planers, pavers, Shuttle Buggy® MTV’s, and soil stabilizers in Chattanooga, TN, USA.
