New control system improves excavator accurancy

The new system is designed for a wide range of construction earthwork applications, including excavating with tight tolerances.

As pipeline construction right-of-ways become tighter and more challenging, construction contractors are looking for excavation equipment that provides greater accuracy, higher productivity, safer working conditions and lower operating costs.

Caterpillar’s recently introduced AccuGrade control system allows excavators to work with a wide range of construction earthwork applications, from bulk earth moving with high production rates to excavating with tight tolerances.  While utilized in general construction for some time, AccuGrade is new to the pipeline construction industry.

The new control system can help operators reduce guesswork and costly rework by moving dirt right the first time; lower survey costs up to 90%; and increase material utilization.

Improving job site communications
Today, technology is something most of us cannot live without. In many cases, we quickly gravitate to technology that enhances communication more than any other technology platform. In our personal lives we use it to stay better connected with loved ones and in our business world to communicate with our partners down the street or around the world.

But what about communicating better on the job site? No, not a new cell phone development – a way to communicate accurate production targets with your operators in your machines. Allowing both to work smarter. Caterpillar’s AccuGrade system gives excavation equipment operators the edge to work smarter on pipeline jobs. This new control system provides excavators with greater accuracy, higher productivity, safer operations, lower operating costs, and more profitability.

Construction earthwork applications
The new system is designed for a wide range of construction earthwork applications including excavating with tight tolerances. The three-dimensional system is ideal for digging trenches, finishing slopes, and complex 3D designs, such as slopes and mass excavation. With the optional tilt-bucket upgrade, operators receive bucket position information when digging to a sloped plane perpendicular to the boom’s axis.

Accugrade can be designed and integrated into the machine to create a control system that allows operators to excavate with complete accuracy. It uses two GPS receivers mounted on the rear of the machine, one pitch sensor and three angle sensors, mounted on the boom, stick and bucket to calculate precise bucket positioning. An in-cab display shows the operator real-time 3D bucket positioning relative to the design plan. The system uses information from the sensors to calculate and display precise cut/fill information. Light bars visually guide the operator by indicating adjustments to bucket tip elevation and left/right bucket tip positioning. Immediate feedback eliminates overcutting or undercutting and helps the operator achieve complex designs and precise slope and depth control in fewer cycles.

The AccuGrade control system makes use of GPS receivers to calculate precise bucket positioning.

In particular, the new control system helps excavators by:

• Increasing productivity and efficiency
• Increasing safety through marking of hazards
• Reducing guesswork and costly rework by moving dirt right the first time
• Reducing survey costs up to 90%
• Increasing material utilization
• Reducing operating costs
• Extending the workday.

The new control systems also enhances worksite safety by reducing the need for ground personnel (survey stakers and checkers) on the worksite, in the vicinity of working equipment.

Other benefits
In addition, the AccuGrade system helps operators and contractors address the continuing labor shortage by:

• Reducing labor requirements and costs
• Enabling customers to get the job done more quickly and efficiently
• Reducing the need for staking and checking
• Improving operator confidence by delivering excavation information to the cab.

Several new features are designed to improve employee satisfaction and retention. These include in-cab display that brings elevation control to the cab, and real-time results and feedback that eliminate guesswork and reduce operator stress. The new system also increases equipment versatility by providing consistency and accuracy, turning production machines into precision digging machines.

Since the AccuGrade system has been fully integrated into the Caterpillar excavators, this line of machinery now offers a proven, optimized on-board electronic system. The components have been designed into the machines to maximize reliability, and integration into the cab increases ease of use.