BIG SONIC SKI in Colombia

by thenkesBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled
BIG SONIC SKI in Colombia

In May 2016, when I get started in MOBA do Brasil, my first task was to learn about BIG SONIC SKI (BSS). First, I read the manuals and simulate its operation in laboratory, and after, for my surprise, I was sent to Medellín city in Colombia to see this system working on a Conasfaltos S.A. job site.

It was a week that I’ve learned a lot, because I could see the BSS installation and operation, and not only that, I could also understand the paving work, since the material production until the final application.

My special thanks to the team that taught me a lot!
From left to right: Me, Julián, the safety technician, Mauricio and Gabriel

Data Security – A critical element for automated construction machinery

by thenkesBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled
Data Security – A critical element for automated construction machinery

Data security is a topic that affects all of us, in our private lives as well as in everyday working life.

Source: datenschutz.org

Of course, it also plays a big role in all industry sectors where data is generated, collected and processed.

For example, the automobile industry is heavily impacted by it as the development of automated and interconnected driving is making big advance. And that means huge amounts of data are generated. This leads to the obligation that the data of each single person, but also the data of the whole traffic system requires protection against abuse and hacker attacks. On the other hand, using that data intelligently offers a big value-added potential.
Source: MOBA AG

This also applies to the data collected from automated construction machinery. As a survey of Bitkom and VdTÜV in Germany found out, the majority of the people interviewed stated, that the data generated from construction machines should only be accessible to the driver and the machine owner. The reason is that they fear technical errors and hacker attacks to the machinery. 83% of the respondents said that it is important to know which data exactly is collected and who works with it (93%).  95% pointed out that the data security is the most important aspect and that the systems should regularly be checked regarding data protection and data safety.

Yet the interconnection and automation of construction machinery and equipment is essential and indispensable in today’s 4.0 industry. It is not only important to be up to date, but especially it offers the possibility to increased efficiency and a high working precision. With interconnected machines and equipment, the whole construction chain can be improved, errors and bottlenecks can be prevented.

Therefore, the challenge for construction machine manufacturers and construction companies is to use these positive effects but also to protect themselves and their customers from the risks that data generation and data exchange offers.
With more and more data and internet based working, the risks and security demands rise. Companies must react and protect their data to prevent potential damages caused by data loss or hacker attacks.
So called “industry data spaces” already offer a possibility for safe data exchange with end-to-end encryption and flexible assignment of rights.

New operating concept for pavers – made with MOBA

by tklebachBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

New operating concept for pavers – made with MOBA

Undeniably, leveling is a crucial aspect in paving new roads, or renewing existing roads. To get an excellent result, everything from the materials, the control system, and the paver must work together. To allow the operator an exact and flexible handling of these systems and to steer the screed the right way, a functional operation concept is a must-have.

MOBA, together with BOMAG, developed a new concept for an optimized screed control. The new built-in leveling system can be controlled via a rugged touchpad and two toggle switches from outside. It allows a comfortable control of many important screed functions like adjusting the height and slope of the screed. It is a very robust device and the easy handling allows for intuitive operation without long trainings.
This new concept not only eases the work for the operators, but also helps achieving highly-precise results in asphalt paving and improving the quality and longevity of the road.

This is another fantastic example of MOBA’s working to develop and produce devices according to a customer’s needs. In this instance, partnering with the customer has developed the housing according to their own company design and augmenting it with MOBA electronics with all MOBA typical features like the robust housing and the special sealing technique which protects sensitive electronics against environmental influences like heat, water or vibrations. Whatever roadwork environments encounter, our products are ready.

MOBA’s operating units and HMIs are not only designed and manufactured for tough requirements, but also offer a wide flexibility when it comes to design and function. This means not only making it fit the needs of a customer’s design, like the BOMAG unit, but when it comes to HMIs for various machines, the design and number of keys, buttons and joysticks can be varied. The customer can choose how many functions they need and then create their own HMI. The best part? This modular HMI concept is that all components are already proven and tested, making it affordable for small quantities. Also, the simple handling and the intuitive, symbol-driven operation is an advantage, when the device is going to be handle my different operators while on a job.

Qualification of front foils at MOBA

by thaBlog, Crane & LifterPosted on Comments are Disabled

Qualification of front foils at MOBA

When selecting front foils for a wide variety of applications, MOBA takes great care to ensure the best quality. There are many front foil manufacturers, but not every front foil is suitable for the rough conditions for mobile applications in a construction environment. The differences in quality partly result from the composition of several different layers and materials.
There are different qualification stages that a front foil needs to pass in order to get to serial production:
  • 1. An endurance test
  • 2. A weather resistance test
  • 3. Salt spray test
Therefore, MOBA decided to implement test procedures along with the introduction of the front foil technology. Among other things, this resulted in the development and manufacture of a specially developed test stand for the qualifications of the front foils.

Front Foil Test Procedure

1. Endurance Test
The test procedure for a front foil is as follows: the front foil is applied to a printed circuit board and a keystroke is simulated with the aid of compressed air tappets. Using a PC, the keystrokes are documented, and the front foils are tested until the front foil is damaged.
2. Weather Resistance test
In the next qualification stage, the front foil is checked for its UV and form stability.

The front foil is tested in a sun simulation cabinet. The sun simulation cabinet can simulate temperatures and sun rays, as they can occur for example in the Arab countries. This test ensures that the front foil is dimensionally stable and that the dome embossing is retained. If the dome embossing is reduced by the heat, the worst-case scenario could be a self-triggering key.

In addition, this test checks that the colours are UV-stable and do not bleach out. However, the film is not only tested for heat, but also for its behaviour at minus temperatures. The film is exposed to extreme minus temperatures. The front foil goes through several of these cycles to reproduce reality as closely as possible.

3. Salt Spray Test
If the above tests have been successfully passed, the front foil must undergo a salt spray test. This test checks that no salt water can damage the front foil.

The front foil is also tested for its material resistance to a wide variety of substances such as lubricants, cleaning agents or operating fluids.

Only when all tests have been successfully passed does the front foil receive approval for use in production.

Even decor foils undergo the testing procedure

All of the so-called decor foils go through this testing process, too. This is a single-layer front foil with specific key symbols applied to a white front foil. This structure has proved to be very successful with the HMImc concept, as an HMI can be used on several different lifters and the specific key symbols are realised via the decor foil. This not only offers advantages in stock management due to identical parts, but also offers the possibility of replacing the decor foil at any time in the field if it is soiled by paint, etc. A front foil can also be changed at any time, but this must be done at MOBA’s.
Feel free to contact us for our HMI solutions and let us work together to develop your own HMI from proven components!

MAWIS bitPAYT APP

by tklebachBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

MAWIS bitPAYT APP - MOBA's new citizen tool to enhance waste segregation and the first step towards a circular economy

In MOBA, we are constantly developing new products and projects where innovation and sustainability play a key role.

In this occasion, we are happy to announce the launching of our new APP for smartphones that promotes citizen participation in waste management of our cities. The application has been created as a tool to allow greater transparency and interaction of the citizen and businesses with the municipality in terms of waste management.

The new Mawis bitPAYT application promotes the circular economy at the municipal level, encouraging selective collection and recycling and giving support to systems that promote the introduction of pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) schemes.

More information coming soon.

Stay tuned.

How would Smart IoT shape our lives in the future?

by mklingenhagenRoad Construction, Success StoryPosted on Comments are Disabled

How would Smart IoT shape our lives in the future?

The concept of ‘connectivity’ is going beyond laptops and smartphones as we see it moving towards smart cities, smart homes, smart retail, smart farming, connected cars, connected wearable devices and connected healthcare. In short a connected life.

The Internet of Things is a popular terminology these days, but unlike many technological fads, which have come and gone in the last years, the Internet of Things proves to be an important trend, which is having long lasting effects on the society. The term “Internet of Things” itself is used to mean a variety of ideas. The IoT cloud platform is primarily designed to store and process IoT data and forms the core of all IoT devices and IoT solution. The platform is built in a way that it enables taking in a huge amount of data generated by sensors, websites, applications and initiate actions for real-time responses and analytics.

For example, Smart Refrigerators can automatically order the run out items, similarly when you use Smart Locks, you do not need to have multiple keys for them, and you can unlock them by using smart phones. The platform can provide businesses with an extensive and integrated perspective of customers, without needing much technical expertise of a data analyst. The platform can intake lot of events each day and users can define rules that state events to act on and what actions to take. The demand for cloud enabled IoT services and solutions is rapidly increasing. A report by Zinnov Zones says India has about 43 per cent or $1.5 billion of the global $3.5 billion IoT market. Experts predicts that Indian IoT market will grow from $1.5 billion today to more than $9 billion by 2020 with over 2.7 billion connected devices and growing. Another Gartner report predicts, by ‘2020 the number of connected devices across all technologies will reach to about 20.6 billion’.

The real world IoT-Cloud platform application:

    1. Smart Home Automation

How would you feel if you could switch off lights after you left home/office or switch the AC on before reaching home? With IoT, taking shape there is introduction of a world where all the smart devices can be in constant connection with each other and are monitored by users remotely via voice commands or by a simple click. With the rapid growth of IoT, it is predicted Smart Homes will be as common as smart phones. It has also been predicted by Gil Press that more than two thirds of consumers plan to buy connected technology for their homes by 2019.

    2. Smart Wearable Technology

A detailed report by TechRepublic says in 2016, wearables were sold at a rate of 38 million and a large portion of them was fitness trackers and smart watches. These two classifications will make up a joint income of $4.9 billion. Wearable devices are installed with sensors and software is which collect data and information about the users. This data is later pre-processed to extract essential insights about the user. The pre-requisite from IoT technology for wearable applications is to be highly energy efficient, low power and small sized. The productivity of data processing achieved by various smart wrist wear, hearable, and smart glasses is getting closer to where wearables will bring exceptional value to our lives.

    3. Connected Vehicles

Gartner predicts that about 250,000,000 connected cars will be out on the roads by 2020. So, what really are connected cars? IoT engineers have come up with an industry solution for connected automobiles that gathers, analyzes, stores and takes action on vehicle sensor data. A connected vehicle is one, which is able to improve and analyze its own operation, maintenance as well as comfort of passengers using onboard sensors and internet connectivity. IoT for automobiles is a vehicle-to-cloud offering that enables awareness of the environment even beyond the vehicles and helps use information to establish a relationship with the driver as well.

     4. Industrial Internet

The IIoT (Industrial IoT) enables industrial engineering with sensors, software and big data analytics to build intelligent equipment. Smart machines are precise and consistent than humans in communicating data. In addition, this analytics on the generated data can help companies pick inabilities and problems fast. In the meanwhile, did you know that about 5.4 million IoT devices would be used on oil extraction sites by 2020 to provide environmental metrics about extraction sites?

    5. Smart Cities

IoT has the potential of solving major problems faced by the people living in cities like pollution, traffic congestion and shortage of energy supplies etc. IoT will empower cities to leverage their network to offer advanced smart city applications for citizens, new eco-sustainability initiatives and create first-hand opportunities for enterprise development.

    6. IoT in Agriculture

To help increase farm performance, IoT technology providers continue to develop IoT cloud based platforms that can sense, process and communicate precisely measured environmental data. Farms are becoming more connected as farmers realize the potential of IoT in helping them reduce cost while achieving improved results.

    7. Smart Retail

IoT Smart Retail enables stores to revolutionize customer service while saving time and money, while simultaneously providing the consumer with a seamless shopping experience. By installing this system, retailers are also able to recapture investment dollars while surpassing expectations for tech-savvy consumers. Some of the components included in Smart Retail are Power shelf, Beacons and Digital Price Tags.

    8. IoT for Healthcare

Research says IoT in healthcare will be enormous in coming years. It is aimed at enabling people to live healthier life by wearing connected devices. For example, through IoT, doctors can use GPS services and be prepared for treating patients being brought to the hospital in emergency cases.

    9. IoT in Telecom Industry

Global telecom operators now use IoT enabled digital platforms that are a combination of connectivity, analysis, security, mobile and cloud to support businesses. This is helping them reduce operating costs while enabling end-users to consume technology in a business-focused manner saving time and money.

Innovative project HMImc remote unit control

by Sebastian SchlesiesBlog, Crane & LifterPosted on Comments are Disabled

Innovative project HMImc remote unit control

…and the next parts we are preparing for shipping to bauma. For the first time we will present the innovation project HMImc radio remote control to our customers. With the 3D printer we created also the yellow docking station to charge the battery.
The deflection and keystrokes are shown on the display of the MCP. The radio remote connection is working with 2 Can Wifi Gateways which are paired togehter. Have a look to that innovative project and join us in Hall A2, booth 237.

Paving Artificially Intelligent, with Temperature Control, thickness, leveling and compaction

by thaBlog, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

Paving Artificially Intelligent

with Temperature Control, thickness, leveling and compaction

The construction of roads does not depend more on the accumulated experience of the workers, be the workers on production of materials, on operations of machinery, be it the surveyors, almost of all those who are involved in a complete process of construction of a road.

“The technological evolution applied to the segment already allows us to obtain optimum performance even with a less experienced team”

New technologies with human machine interfaces (HMI), ultrasonic sensors, infrared sensors, satellite technology, artificial intelligence and telemetry are helping a lot in road works. In the past the operators guided the steps of the machines, “Today, the machines guide the steps of the operators”.
The futuristic and spooky portraits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that dominate movies and books and influence the collective imagination do not go beyond mere fiction. But, in the real world, AI is changing our daily lives, and overwhelmingly, through ways that improve human health, safety and productivity. Contrary to what we see in the cinema, there are no armies of robots with superhuman capabilities in the closest horizon, despite being many critics who faced a myriad of problems and threats led by this unprecedented evolution. And, despite the fact that the potential for an abusive use of AI technologies must be recognized, addressed and debated, along with numerous emerging ethical issues, their greatest potential lies, among a set of diverse fields, in making the driving of vehicles are safer, help children and adults to learn, to improve – and to extend – the quality of life of humans. Actually, the use of AI beneficial applications in schools, in our homes, in hospitals and in construction, is added at an accelerated pace: the large universities devote more and more time and resources to their study and technology and research companies , they are allocating resources and giant investments in their exploitation.
Between great hopes, fears and challenges or threats, the impact that AI will have in different areas of our existence is not science fiction. For good and for evil, but believing that it will be more for good, the rapid march of Artificial Intelligence has no return. The AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) have already arrived and are here to stay. Also, the Building Information Modeling (BIM), deals with how to use digital technology in the design, construction and management of assets for life. In this way, this model presents an organized and classified information on the cartography, the linear information for the tracing of roads and railways, the bridges, the structures and walls, the tunnels, the environment, the treatments of the land and the planning of work, as well as other services affected by water, electricity and gas. In addition, this organized system allows a more uniform, coherent, versatile and more comprehensible information.

Optimizing Road Infrastructure: The Life Cycle, BIM Methodology, and Enhanced Project Management

In the life cycle of a road infrastructure, it is necessary to highlight a series of stages beginning with the initial phase, which is also the shortest. Then follows the decision-making phase and work in the different disciplines. Likewise, all deliveries must be perfectly defined and the rules of implementation, well established. In all these stages it is necessary to have a database, feed it and adjust it, so that it is used by all the protagonists involved in the life cycle of the work. It is a project that becomes construction and ends in operation and maintenance. Then, we must also consider the uses of the BIM methodology in the different phases. In construction, we can talk about the use of the model, for a better-defined project, a reduction in costs due to better planning and the consistency of the model, the traceability of changes and the improvement of communication. The operation and maintenance phase stand out for the unification of the information and access to the real data of the state of each infrastructure project and its elements. In addition to the traceability in the decisions and the evolution of the state of the infrastructure, as well as the improvement in management.

Streamlining Road Management with BIM: Centralized Data and Collaborative Efficiency

A BIM System in Road Management consists of a software that puts at the disposal of the infrastructure manager all the necessary information, from the position and status of each inventory item or road, as all projects, files and activities associated, as well as any related information. A BIM system integrates all the information in a conveniently designed common space. Having all the centralized information and using it in all phases of any project allows us to optimize costs, manage information more effectively, and facilitate the emergence of relationships between modules and files, which ultimately facilitate the work of any manager. Likewise, a system of these characteristics allows the different actors involved in the conservation and operation of roads to work in a coordinated manner, from those responsible for public administration and workers of the concession companies, each of whom can access their information, but also sharing the resources that everyone needs.

In short, the BIM in linear infrastructures allows a greater control of the elements and a better reality seen in the initial phase, that of the project, to be later exposed in the final phases.

A good example of the use of this type of technology is the construction in China of intelligent highways based on 5G and AI. This intelligent 5G highway is for autonomous vehicles and traffic tracking based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), through a mobile operator. The urban-scale system under construction will be able to support transport services coordinated by the mobile network, such as intelligent toll stations that will be able to eliminate the current identifiers and human operators (porters). In addition, the operator also plans to collect traffic information in real time and make forecasts supported by Artificial Intelligence using the data, as well as offering support to autonomous vehicles.

New technologies existing in the market, in the construction and conservation of pavements

As a response or recommendation of existing technology in the market, to solve the problems referred to in the introduction, let’s talk about solutions for the monitoring and control of the temperature of the asphalt mass, the monitoring and control of thickness and leveling of the asphalt binder and of the monitoring and control of the compaction index of the asphalt layer in the different types of roller compactors. With the solutions detailed below, the prevention and improvement of the efficiency of the two most important factors in the life of a road are made, which are the segregation “figure 1” and the International Index of Roughness (IRI) “figure 2 and 3 “

Figure 1. Example of segregation

Figure 2. IRI scale

Figure 3. Example of an IRI> 3m / KM

Monitoring and control of the temperature of the asphalt mass

Smart paving with real-time thermal visualization for asphalt paving in the present and in the future, allows the optimization of processes and documentation in road construction.

The perfect temperature of the paving material is an extremely important factor in the construction of roads and determinant for the quality of the road. Therefore, the exhaustive thermal visualization of the paving process provides valuable information on the quality of the material and offers completely new optimization opportunities. The infrared (IR) scanner method is a system that creates a thermal profile of the roadway in a clear and simple way and also, in real time. The high-precision infrared temperature scanner creates an exhaustive thermal profile of the extended layer with a total width equal to the width of the asphalt paver and, if desired, can be used as proof of paging and supply temperatures. In this way, the fully automatic display of the temperature offers the possibility of quickly identifying the specific points that may be affected by the thermal segregation to react immediately.

Additional high-performance sensors can be positioned on the pavers where desired, further measuring the temperatures of the material right where the temperature plays a decisive role, whether in the bucket, in the lower layer or in the mixer. This multiple measurement provides numerous highly accurate data. In this way it is possible to know the temperature of the material supplied in real time and, if necessary, document it. Thus, the temperature differences of the paving material can be seen throughout the process, so that if necessary, it can be reacted immediately by taking the appropriate measures.

These technological solutions are an important element for the interconnected work of the future and contribute in a decisive way to the longevity of the road. Its development and its daily use in projects from all over the world are just one more proof that digitization 4.0 is already part of the daily routine of every project.

Characteristics and advantages of the solution - temperature measuring infrared

The unique infrared technology of the scanner offers the decisive advantage that it measures the temperature of the asphalt surface and the material with great precision. In addition, its measurement capacity of a width of up to 13 m makes it technically superior to the camera-based solutions available in the market.

The fundamental capacity of the solution is given by three functions: the highly accurate data recording with a cloud solution, its connection with open interfaces for the current asphalt and process logistics systems and a scalable reporting system in detail. With the automatic measurement of the temperature displayed in a human machine interface (HMI), self-explanatory temperature profiles show new possibilities for optimization and the best thing is that it does not involve extra work for the team in charge of the extended works. In addition to the exhaustive display and documentation of temperature measurements, the definitive advance is the fact that the system allows interconnection with the finisher, which is the “cornerstone” for the work of the future.

Characteristics of the solution:

  • Highly accurate measurement of material temperature for the identification of thermal segregation
  • Modular design with individually combinable and expandable components
  • Open interfaces for logistics and optimization solutions providers
  • Detailed thermal profile of the extended asphalt layer
  • Real-time recording and analysis of temperature values
  • Cloud solution for easy management of data

Advantages of the solution:

  • Optimization of the paving process by monitoring all relevant temperatures in real time
  • Display of the thermal properties of the material (thermal segregation)
  • Perfect adaptability for the equipment of all types and models of finishers
  • Registration of extremely large pave widths

Demonstration of a GS506 machine control system

by mklingenhagenRoad Construction, Success StoryPosted on Comments are Disabled

Demonstration of a GS506 machine control system on a Case 856B Grader

The GS 506 machine control system enables the operator to accurately level and grade undergrounds with a variety of sensors.
The system offers free mobility in difficult terrain and increases efficiency and work speed. All stakeholders of the application are benefitting from using machine control as it saves time, costs (machine wear and tear, petrol) and supports the operator to perform accurate performance.
In the picture below, the GS506 is equipped on the CASE Grader 856B on a trial in Thailand.

The GS506 system processes the height & slope information from its sensors and automatically controls the blade of the machine to ensure most effective grading.

To show the benefit of the system – MOBA and CNH Thailand created 2 challenges for the demo of the system:

  1.  The first challenge involved the creation of a 2,5% slope simulating a standard road roof profile (where you allow water to run of the highway left and/or right).

For this task, the operator decided to use the MOBA LS3000 sensor in combination with an auto slope laser transmitter.

The laser beam of the transmitter is caught by the laser receiver for height reference. By the use of an electronic mast, the operator does not need to make any height adjustment of the laser manually but can control the process form inside the cabin.

    2. The second trial was based on a curve with the aim to create a slope of 4% with a stringline reference.

For this task, the operator decided to use the MOBA Sonic Ski to read directly from a stringline.
The Sonic Ski enables the driver to stay on the track and the slope sensors of the GS 506 system ensure that the correct slope is created.

Results

Trial 1) With only two passes with the laser- the operator was able to create a slope of 2,6% – it’s merely impossible to manually work with such efficient and accuracy.

Trial 2) With only two passes with the Sonic Ski – the operator was able to create a slope of 3,8%- also in this case one can stipulate that manual grading can never be as accurate

Further passes would have led to absolute accuracy.
I would like to thank CNH Thailand for organizing this event in Thailand and I am looking forward to many more success stories.

Building a water storage Dam​

by thenkesBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

Building a water storage Dam

MOBA Australia (former MCE Lasers) has integrated an advanced 3D system with the MCE ECO- Grader GNSS system

Project Facts

The project is located in Nurrung Victoria Australia. The project demands approx 33,000 cubic meters of dirt cut out, another approx. 2,700 Cubic meters of dirt/clay fill brought in. The task was achieved with approx. 250 machine/ man hours. The whole are has been compacted to 98%.

The Customer “Corian Park” has already purchased 3 x MCE Eco-Grade GNSS systems in the past.

This system allows the customer to work with either Laser control or entry level GPS (meaning they can create a FLAT, SINGLE or DUAL slope plane easily using GPS for the height reference). The Customer also has a MOBA 3D-matic system which has been integrated by MOBA AUSTRALIA to work as an upgraded option to the Eco-Grade to allow the customer to upload 3D models when needed.

The Operator Drew Chislett is achieving accuracies within +/-7mm.
Please follow this link to see the actual video from the jobside:
https://gopro.com/v/57Jao02gP0JLd
Any questions on integrating your former (MCE) system with MOBA - let us know and we will support you.