Wirtgen’s AutoPilot Field Rover, which won an innovation award at Bauma 2013, eliminates stringlines, using a GPS to guide paving machines instead, our sister site, Equipment World, reported.
The device uses a computer integrated into the machine, GPS receivers mounted on the paver and a control panel.
To create the stringline, the receivers communicate with GPS reference station, which measures and stakes out the section to be paved, allowing the Field Rover to plot the optimum course.
The course data is downloaded onto a USB thumbdrive that is inserted into the slipform paver’s machine control, allowing operators to work without entering data manually. The machine adjusts its position and paving heights according to the data.
Wirtgen has said the system is priced lower and less complex than existing 3D systems and requires little training.
For more information on the device or to watch a video of it at work, click here.