Trimble releases 3D paving control platform for millers and cold planers

Trimble headquarters in Colorado, US. (Image: Trimble)

According to the company, it’s an extension of their current Trimble Roadworks 3D paving control system.

The software is built to help compatible machines minimise over-cutting and create smoother surfaces. Trimble suggests it’s an ideal platform for jobs servicing airport runways, highways, racetracks or “other projects that require optimum smoothness.”

“Complex paving projects such as airport runways and heavily-travelled highways have some of the tightest specifications in the construction industry,” explained Kevin Garcia, general manager of Civil Specialty Solutions at Trimble.

“Trimble Roadworks for milling and cold planing takes both the guesswork and the re-work out of milling, making it easy for operators to mill precisely to a 3D design elevation. The benefits of this extend throughout the entire paving process, creating less work for pavers, decreasing asphalt usage, and increasing overall surface smoothness.”

A 3D design of the pavement is displayed for the machine operator, and it identifies areas that may be above or below ideal grade. The platform can automatically guide the milling drum to cut the ideal depth or slope without the necessity of string lines or manual adjusting.

“With intuitive graphics, natural interactions and gestures, and self-discovery features, [the software shortens] training time for operators,” said Trimble. “The system is compatible with Trimble WorksManager software, which manages data transfer and tracks construction technology equipment across jobsites, and with Trimble Business Center software, which is used to create 3D milling plans and comprehensive quality and production reports.”

Trimble Roadworks platform in-action

The platform was beta tested by Illinois, US-based Rabine Raving in early 2023.

“It’s really the next level and an opportunity for us to significantly improve our efficiency, field safety, and precision,” said Kyle Miller, director of operations at Rabine, who added he hopes the new tech could play a role in reducing labour shortages. “It’s also a key component of our efforts to attract new operators to our industry.”

Miller joined the company in January 2023, and started looked to 3D for paving applications.

“I came from the civil and earthworks industry where 3D machine control is fairly well established. I wondered if there was a place for 3D in our milling workflows,” he said. “For milling applications, a well-trained operator can eyeball the changes of slope and contours necessary for drainage and ADA requirements in a parking lot, but it’s a considerable amount of work.

“If a third-party inspector finds any deviation outside the specs,” he continued, “we have to rework, which is always a costly endeavour. I believed that the same advantages we’ve had with the screeds could be realized with a more automated milling solution.”

Miller spoke with a regional Trimble construction dealer about the topic, which opened the door to initial testing of the newest milling solution. The Trimble Roadworks Paving Control Platform for mills and cold planers was installed on a Rabine paver in April and was on a jobsite by May 2023. The first mill job was for an office building and distribution centre in Wisconsin, US.

A job that included a small parking lot and roundabout with complex slopes, Miller said the ability to make in-field decisions with the Trimble platform was highly valuable.

“The technology automatically calculates the surface so we’re able to accurately read the profile ahead of time,” said Miller. “It takes the operator’s guesswork out of the equation. Instead of the operator having to gauge mill depth based on experience, the Roadworks solution mills to the design profile within the designated precision. It allows our crews to optimize material quantities that are milled on a site.”

A worker walks along a paver equipped with Trimble’s Roadworks platform. (Image: Trimble)