Grader Sportplatz.jpgThe grader precisely distributes the material in the blade over the surface, fills holes and flattens bumps. Via tachymeter or by means of GNSS, position and height of the machine are constantly determined and the blade adjusted accordingly. The operator has an overview of all operations on a display in the vehicle cab – this view is already the norm in modern road construction or in the realization of major projects. But even in smaller projects, such as the construction of industrial sites or sports fields, 3D technology offers many advantages.

For example, the renovation of a football pitch in the Kaiserstuhlstadion in Bahlingen in Germany. There, Wendelin Schneider is using the new 3D-matic system from MOBA Mobile Automation AG in his grader.

The task: the hard pitch from the 1960s is to be reconstructed and converted to a grass pitch. This means that an area of 7000 square metres must be reworked and relevelled. For this purpose, the site will first be measured with the tachymeter. The terrain model generated with AutoCAD is simply transferred by the user as a DXF file on a USB stick from the PC to the 3D-matic levelling system; no time-consuming conversions are necessary, the system can directly use the data. After the red sand layer of the hard pitch is removed, the subgrade will be relevelled as specified by the model. Wendelin Schneider will then install the levelling layer, a total of 600 metric tons of material with a 0-16 grain, using the system.

Quickly and easily create profiles with multiple inclines

To prevent rainwater from collecting on the pitch and to instead allow it to drain uniformly, the surface cannot be completely flat, but must rather have specific inclines. For the football pitch in the Kaiserstuhlstadion, this will be realized with a hipped profile. This means that multiple inclines must be realized on this surface and a uniform gradient of 0.8 to 1 percent incorporated on all four sides from the middle to the edge of the pitch. And here is where the advantages of the 3D system come into play: ""With the 3D-matic, I can travel the entire length in one pass, and the system automatically regulates the height and incline angle of the blade depending on which part of the pitch I am currently travelling over with the grader. If one was to use a system with a laser, it would be necessary to exit the cab intermittently and adjust the laser transmitter accordingly for the various inclines"", explains Wendelin Schneider.

In addition, the grader does not need to travel in lanes, but can instead be driven in any direction, since the receiver on the machine constantly captures the tachymeter signal and adjusts the blade accordingly. Passes can even be made over the corners without problem. Over a distance of up to 200 metres, the receiver captures the signal with a very high accuracy of better than 5 millimetres. Even at the edge of the kerb, where deviations frequently arise when working with a laser, the grader with the 3D-matic operates with precision, since the terrain model can be implemented exactly according to the specifications and the existing conditions.

Uncomplicated installation, simple operationPanel

"And the system is really simple to operate. The machine and the corresponding values are depicted clearly on the display", says Wendelin Schneider.

It can be operated both via the touch-screen display as well as using the keyboard.Processing the surface with the 3D system saves time and fuel and improves the quality in the construction process. ""Using the system, I can attain time savings of two thirds over manual processing. No stakes need to be set, no wires tensioned and no manual measurements performed"", says the contractor. An upgrade from 2D to 3D is no problem, as Wendelin Schneider, who also works with the Sonic-Ski and LS-3000 2D components from MOBA, confirms. After processing the subgrade and the levelling layer, an approximately two-centimetre-thick plastic coating will be applied with a surface finisher and the irrigation and the turf installed, so that the ball can soon roll again in the Kaiserstuhlstadion.