The cloud based Pavelink system connects, automates and informs everybody in a paving job, from the asphalt plant to the truck drivers to the paving crews.Some big news from Topcon’s booth at the recent Bauma trade show in Germany was the introduction of its paving application, Pavelink. This cloud-based system connects everybody in the paving logistics chain from the asphalt plant to the truck drivers, site supervisors, equipment operators and office personnel in real time throughout the paving process.
“Paving is about managing the flow,” says Jan Mennink, senior product manager paving. “The paver needs to pave continuously without stopping and be as consistent as possible.”
To do this Pavelink automatically gathers and centralizes all relevant information like quantities, temperatures, number of trucks loaded, current truck locations, job site arrival estimates, number of trucks returning or queuing for loads, current screed width, pave speed and amount of roadway paved.
“A lot of people just guess or estimate how many trucks they’re going to need,” says Mennink. As a result they pay for trucksthey don’t need, or they have to stop paving and wait for the trucks to catch up.
Pavelink allows you to pre-schedule deliveries and adjust on the fly if need be. “It gives you a list of every truck action: how many trucks, what kind of trucks and the algorithm picks out the best way of doing it,” he says.
Sensor kits tie in with Pavelink to give you temperature readings on asphalt under the screed and the surface to be paved so you know the difference. Using the width of the screed and accurate GPS positions,the foreman knows exactly if the paving job is on track and can, if needed,change an order to the asphalt plant instantly without a lot of phone calls.
A geofence also recognizes the arrival of the trucks andtracks their activity digitally, and more importantly, informs stakeholders of ETAs dynamically.
New jobsite tools
A voice-activated, wearable display, the LN-100 frees up your hands for layout tasks.Topcon also debuted two new jobsite tools at Bauma.
The new LN-100 voice-activated heads-up display gives you a wearable visual reference screen indicating jobsite layout points. It is hands-free, allowing you to easily mark layout points on the ground or surfaces and also allows you to take photos and videos to document progress.
According to the company it can speed layout work by up to 80 percent.
Topcon also showed the GTL-1000, a scanning robotic solution for vertical construction. It provides full-featured layout functionality with single operator control.
With the GTL-1000, operators can conduct a full-dome 360-degree scan in just minutes, says Ray Kerwin, director of global product planning.
