Many hardware and software solutions exist to help determine a machine’s current position on the earth and compare it with a desired design surface—and construction operators can do more to leverage the benefits.
Machine control is the use of various positioning sensors and a display to provide the operator with a reference between the position of the bucket or blade and the target grade. The target grade may be as complex as a 3D design model, or as simple as a vertical offset from a known level.
Depending on the configuration, machine control systems can provide the operator with a simple visual guide to bucket or blade position, or can automatically move the blade to grade by talking to the machine’s hydraulics.
There are machine control systems available for just about any machine: graders, dozers, excavators, soil and asphalt compactors, scrapers, trimmers, milling machines, and pavers. The reason for the rapid expansion of both the applications and the industry has to do with the powerful benefits of the technology. Some benefits include reduced rework, improved job efficiency, and lower surveying costs. Machine control can also help increase productivity and reduce overall costs.
This technology is changing the way the construction industry works. Construction equipment without machine control will become a thing of the past and the advantages gained from it will be numerous.
