Latest Intelligent Innovation in Asphalt Roller Designs & Technology
The latest advances in compaction technology and intelligent innovation are happening rapidly to help us adapt to changing demands on road equipment and asphalt roller designs.
asphalt roller manufacturers
Upgrading your fleet is an important way for your company to stay competitive.
As new equipment emerges, new technologies and improvements will help your workers work more smoothly and efficiently.
Over the years, technology has continued to advance in asphalt rollers and road compaction, improving performance and increasing the value of these machines on the job site.
Rollers are optimized to meet regulations; operator needs and the way our roads are designed.
HC Compact Series
In the future, the market segment of small rollers (5-7 tons) will be covered by the HC compact line series.
The 7-ton roller is still the most compact roller in this weight class on the market.
Compared to its predecessor, the Ham has further improved driving comfort with increased traction and hill-climbing capabilities.
The HC Compact range offers a variety of digital tools, especially the Smart Doc app for GNSS-based self-monitoring and documentation.
A world first in asphalt construction: Pivot-steered tandem rollers from the HX series
The HX series is the new flagship from Hamm for asphalt construction.
The pivot-steered tandem rollers (7 t or 9 t) are following in the footsteps of the DV+ series and are designed for high-quality compaction.
There are models with split and non-split vibration and oscillation drums, as well as combination rollers.
A key component of the well-conceived compaction technology is the integrated automatic reversing: It brakes and accelerates the rollers quickly, but smoothly.
The electrically adjustable seat operating unit, which automatically turns to the direction of travel when reversing, is unique on the market.
The excellent visibility also contributes to the quality – including a window in the cab floor for a view of the drums.
Furthermore, the Smart Compact compaction assistant also supports the driver when selecting the settings.
"Innovation is an ongoing process on with our equipment," Tim Kowalski, HAMM application support manager with Wirtgen America says.
"We're always listening to contractors and changing our machines based on what they are saying and what their needs are.
We're also changing the rollers to support the mix designs, the traffic loads, the type of materials, the oils that we're using and everything else that is changing.
"In order to get the same kind of performance of the mixes that we're developing and putting out there on the roadways, we're not going to be able to compact them the same way," Kowalski continues.
"So, understanding that we have to think a little bit more outside of the box of how we're going to develop a roller to give us better compaction, faster compaction, longer lasting roads is what we're continually working on.
"Intelligent Innovation in Asphalt Roller Designs
One technology that is making progress in asphalt roller designs is intelligent compaction (IC).
It is no exaggeration to say that intelligent/smart compaction is an innovation that will play an important role in future compaction technology.
Using ICs offers many advantages that cannot be ignored.
These systems include an accelerometer-based measurement system, along with GPS, infrared temperature sensors, and an on-board computer that provides the operator with real-time compaction information.
Over the past few years, ICs have made many advancements aimed at reducing the guesswork in the paving process, but many contractors have yet to adopt the technology.
As a result, manufacturers are continually improving these systems to meet the needs of contractors.
"Contractors do things very simply," Kowalski said.
“Engineers tend to say, if I touch these 10 buttons to do one thing, that’s fine.
But contractors want to touch one button to do 10 things.
If we want the operator to use the equipment effectively.
”Next developed was the concept of "refined simplicity" to help contractors meet their job site needs and efficiency needs when using machines.
With the addition of the Dyn@lyzer intelligent compaction system, operators can now take full advantage of pass counting, job site mapping and density-related hardness readings.
asphalt roller machine
This helps contractors and DOTs ensure that the roller operator gets the job done within certain boundary conditions and provides continuous feedback as the job is performed.
“This is what we call complex simplicity.
The sophistication of technology simplifies the operation of the rollers.
Even with simplified controls, these systems are considered complex and will not be adopted unless required; when contractors need to use technology in a project or the situation requires it.
Many customers have been hitting their density numbers for years because of their experienced staff and their process consistency, said Brian Nagel, global sales consultant for Caterpillar, Inc.
Ma Technology and Utility Compactors.
“When one or one of many other factors change, they can be lost because of density, which can be very expensive.
Some missteps during the paving season often customers ask what they can do to prevent it and what the solutions are.
One is smart compaction.
As roller operators begin to visualize what they are doing, changes can be made to improve results.
Many times, contractors need help to start the road to a full IC.
"Many contractors still do not use smart compaction unless their project or DOT requires them to do so,” said Mark Eckert, Volvo Global Product Manager.
This is mainly because contractors are still uncertain about the benefits, and the systems are notoriously difficult to use and expensive to implement.
We recently launched Compact Assist Start to help customers take their first steps towards smart compaction.
It is easy to use and requires no setup, includes channel mapping and temperature mapping capabilities, provides real-time data on how work is progressing, and is less expensive than full-blown IC systems.
What is another added benefit of IC? "CYA" factor.
Many projects are beginning to require pass mapping documents for density and IC to assure contractors that they are completing the correct number of passes for each job.
"The documentation side of things can also be used to evaluate work plans and work done to identify areas for improvement," Nagel added.
“This could mean proper turnout training for roller operators to ensure transition areas are covered or temperature maps showing inconsistent paver speeds, which can lead to inconsistent density.
By providing our customers with more information, it allows They make better decisions.
More with their end product.
Safety and comfort come first
We all know what's on the device isn't as important as what's on the device.
Your employees are critical to your business, and these tools are tailored to meet the challenging workforce demands our industry faces.
asphalt roller operator
Many customers face challenges finding carriers, and the carriers they have are often inexperienced.
As a product, the more we can do to make these machines easier to use, the more successful the operator will be, and the machine operator is the focus when Caterpillar designs its machines.
We know that operators who like to operate machines are more productive and more likely to come back the next day, so we put a lot of emphasis on making these machines easy to operate and comfortable to operate.
"This can be seen in customers who choose to purchase a machine with a cab in order to provide a more comfortable environment for their operators, making it easier to maintain staff,” adds Nagel.
“Our new line of asphalt compactors has the ability to slide and rotate the entire operator station on the machine 360º from left to right.
This enables operators to orient their bodies in the most natural working direction and reduce stress.
This positioning, controls are strategically placed within the operator's comfort zone.
For example, steering control of the machine is accomplished through a unique handwheel that is comfortable and easy to use and can be placed in two different Location.
Another important point is the consistency of the various machines in the fleet.
The ability to run many different machines in a fleet is a huge advantage for operators.
"The HAMM Easy Drive system is a simple operator station that goes from machine to machine so the operator doesn’t have to relearn the dashboard when trying to operate the machine,” Kowalski said.
We have 195 models of rollers and if you know the three dashboards you know that each of our rollers can easily be moved from machine to machine because all the buttons are the same as where they are on the other machines same.
"When an operator is working, comfort isn't the only factor to consider.
They also need to be safe and keep those around them safe.
Equipment is being upgraded to help with more ergonomically placed operator stations, backup cameras and object detection sensors.
asphalt roller patterns
"Collision avoidance and sensors are going to become more prominent," Eckert says.
"Contractors are very conscious of work zone safety and as much technology that we can get that can make machines and job sites safer is one of more important things that we can do as manufacturers.
The process of building a road isn't going to change anytime soon so it's important for all of us to work together and try to be as efficient as we can, and as safe as we can while we do it.
"Is The Future Electric & Autonomous?
The short answer is yes.
Cars, machines, construction equipment and more are all moving to electric operation that can operate autonomously.
The path to getting there for our industry however is going to be a long one.
Still, the future needs to look different to comply with changing carbon emission regulations.
ECO responsibility is a key area of focus for Dynapac and we designed several technologies into our rollers to reduce carbon footprint even with diesel powered units.
Dynapac's Patented efficient eccentric system reduces the power consumption up to 50% when the vibration is activated.
Also, our Intelligent Eco Mode continuously manages engine RPM based on the loads reduces up to 15% in fuel.
Future machines are evolving to take sustainability even further.
Everybody's looking at autonomous rollers, more remote control, electric-driven, those are in the works," Kowalski says.
"The biggest thing is, how long is it going to last? How long will that charge work for the operator? And then how do we charge it while we're on the job site? Well, there are definitely things that we're looking at and everybody else's, too.
"Manufactures have released concept electric equipment and will continue to test those machines with contractors and autonomous operation of equipment doesn't need a negative connotation in an industry strapped for workers.
asphalt roller for sale
Automation and autonomy are a space that more and more customers and manufactures are talking about these days.
Labor shortages in the construction industry are a big driving factor and the more manufacturers can do to automate machines, the more successful we make our customers.
Some are looking to make an inexperienced operator more productive through automation while others are looking to reduce the number of operators needed for a job because they can’t get them or so they can be redeployed to do other tasks.
Whatever the reason, Caterpillar has been working on the journey to autonomy for a long time with mining trucks and that technology is now being scaled down for our other products.
And some of that equipment is already available.
Dynapac is fully invested in Developing Z.
ERA Range of asphalt rollers where practically possible to eliminate the need of fossil fuel and related emissions.
On this program the CC900e is already being delivered to select customers and we continue to develop more products under Z.
ERA program.
The equipment industry is changing very fast and contractors should expect to see some of these machines on jobsites very soon - and maybe have already experienced these machines.
BOMAG, HAMM & Volvo have also released their concept machines and we're expecting to see more at bauma this fall in Germany and ConExpo 2023.
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