Carlson Machine Control has upgraded its PDGrade 3D GPS machine guidance system, adding features such as more accurate positioning and navigate-to-hole machine headings.
Designed specifically for piling applications, PDGrade Piling System v6.0 reduces manual processes requiring staking, marking, and trial and error. It does this by using two components: the CBx6 Control Box Console (below) and the MC Pro Vx6 3D Machine Control Sensor.
“With PDGrade, piling contractors can benefit from high accuracy navigation, positioning and easy-to-use software that offers features such as navigation to pile, pile location, as-builts, and production reports,” says Carlson Machine Control vice president Randy Noland. “The system also increases safety, as it requires fewer people to be near the machines when erecting piles.”
Dieter von Mollendorf, Product Manager for Carlson machine guidance solutions at Australian distributor Position Partners, says the time savings alone provide a very fast return on investment on the PDGrade system.
“Even a small time saving across every pile will result in huge time and money savings at the end of the project,” Von Mollendorf says. “Before PDGrade, piling contractors’ only option to measure the accuracy of the piles was via flat plane lasers, which have to be moved constantly as the job progresses.
“With PDGrade, operators and managers can ensure accurate spacing and positioning of each pile,” he adds. “There is also the flexibility to drive piles to a required depth, or to a required height above ground, or to the natural terrain.”
Key benefits of version 6.0 include the ability to:
- Load pile design grid by supported file types (csv, dxf, dwg, and more) or enter patterns in the field;
- Navigate to hole (machine heading);
- Position piles more efficiently and with high accuracy;
- Store as-built points easily, showing previously driven piles including their positional accuracy and azimuth;
- Work with much larger pile designs with no degradation of speed thanks to performance enhancements;
- Produce sophisticated reports via built-in software functionality, without the need for telematics or back office software. Display the accuracy of driven piles and flag those that fall outside required tolerance levels, report on average pile time, piles left to drive and more.
In addition, users can get real-time piling status with support from the new, optional LDx6 laser distance sensor for driving piles to elevation, surface or depth, without an external, traditional laser setup.
“The LDx6 kit mounts near the top of the feeder, offering real-time indication of piling progress,” Carlson says. “Most importantly, this eliminates the need for a laser transmitter setup and the associated limitations such as range, line of sight and the need to continually calibrate and move the laser to new locations.”
