Trimble Australia  announces the release of a new positioning solution for road and railway tunnelling contractors that leverages Trimble’s Business Center – HCE office software.  

Part of the Trimble Connected Site portfolio, the Trimble SCS900 Site Controller Software Tunnelling module operates on the Trimble Tablet and the Trimble SPS930 Universal Total Station. The integrated office to field solution allows contractors to quickly, safely and accurately perform tunnel construction, while monitoring progress in real-time.  

The Business Center – HCE office software is used to prepare an accurate model to begin tunnel construction operations. Contractors can use the advanced tools of the new Business Center – HCE Corridor Tunnelling module to model tunnels with multiple layers in the same alignment.  

Business Center – HCE tunnelling tools handle extremely complex design and measurement files, including multi-million point cloud files from LIDAR devices, and accommodate drilling and blasting operations. The complete tunnel model can then be exported to the Trimble Tablet running SCS900 Site Controller Software in the field.  

In addition to allowing tunnelling contractors to send accurate, up-to-date designs to the field wirelessly, eliminating the need to physically drive to the site, Business Center – HCE office software also enables them to create an accurate model that would help identify and resolve potential problems before the project starts, saving time and money.  

Key advantages of Trimble SCS900 Site Controller Software Tunnelling module:  

  • Enables tunnelling personnel in the field to compare the 3D tunnel design with the as-built tunnel after every blast round
  • Efficiently addresses the daily measuring and positioning requirements of tunnelling projects
  • Reduces work stoppage time for manual measurements
  • Progress can be monitored from a safer distance from the blasting zone
  • Can be used for all measurement and stakeout operations inside and outside the tunnel
  • Trimble Tablet allows site crews to wirelessly receive design updates and quickly deliver measurement results back to the office for rapid approvals
  • Built-in connectivity of the Tablet allows site engineers to rapidly communicate on-site problems, take remedial actions or request information from project engineers without driving to the office
  • Trimble SPS930 provides high-accuracy positioning for tunnel construction projects
  • Advanced robotic scanning capabilities of the SPS930 allows field crews to operate at safer distances from scaling operations and provide a more accurate measurement of results
  • Integration with tunnel-specific scanning routines in the SCS900 Tunnelling module produces a more accurate profile of the tunnel surface
All components of the new Trimble Tunnel Construction Solution are expected to be available in May 2012 through Trimble’s worldwide SITECH Technology Dealer Channel.