bauma 2007 – Modern machinery and equipment for pavement laying and renovation

In industrialised nations, maintaining and improving the transport infrastructure is just as important as building new roads, motorways and railways. For a number of years the construction machinery sector has been concentrating on these applications, and can now offer a wide range of machinery and equipment, which in most cases is suitable for use in both fields – new construction and maintenance. At the 28th bauma trade fair, which takes place from 23 to 29 April 2007 in Munich, all the leading manufacturers of machinery and equipment for building and maintaining roads, port and rail facilities will be presenting their latest products and application techniques.

Road-building operations around the world need machinery for laying top-quality concrete and asphalt pavements with as long a service life as possible. But a key factor in the quality of the end product is the composition of the various base layers. Suitable, easy-to-compact material is often not available in the right quality or the right quantity. What´s required here are soil stabilisers to mix the lime or cement, or cold-recycling systems which can change the characteristics of existing base. Working in combination with these are modern binder spreaders which can deliver the aggregate in front of the recycler in precisely the right quantities. This working process can be even further optimised with the use of a mobile suspension mixing system.

Cold recycling applications are attracting worldwide attention for a range of different construction applications. At bauma between 23 and 29 April 2007, many exhibitors will be showcasing a cross-selection of their range and highlighting the many improvements to details and efficiency.

Improved ergonomic design and automated processes in cold milling machines
Hollows in asphalt pavements or track marks in concrete carriageways don´t necessarily mean the whole surface needs to be replaced. Machinery manufacturers provide modern cold milling machines which can process over 1,000 tonnes per hour. Within a short space of time these machines create surfaces with good grip, or create a suitable basis for cold application of the thin-layer surface. Rapid front-loading of the granulated milled material, the latest electronic levelling systems, cutting rollers and high manoeuvrability thanks to chain-steering are further special features. At the next bauma the manufacturers will be concentrating on optimised switching systems and high-quality material to relieve pressure on the cutting tools.

These changes will be supplemented by better ergonomic design of the operating units, combined with automatic function processes. And, last not least, new levelling systems have been announced, which also enable intuitive operation even of the smaller cutters.

Flexibility and easy operation are key
Efficient laying of the thin-layer cold surfaces mentioned above is also carried out using special machinery. These machines comprise several silos and tanks for the aggregates, plus an electronic metering system to ensure a constant high mix quality. Pave widths vary between 2 and 4 metres; the mixing capacity is around 90 tonnes or more per hour. The manufacturers of these machines generally cater to the entire palette of applications – from repair work such as applying bitumen emulsion to thin-layer cold applications and isolated repair of cracks and potholes. In all segments the aim is to create machinery and equipment that is as flexible as possible, capable of being fitted without major alteration to a wide range of local-authority vehicles or vehicles owned by the construction companies.
Modern technology is well illustrated on the example of a simple spraying machine for bitumen solutions for fitting to a range of vehicles: What the users require here are switchable jets with variable direction and angle of operation. Other examples are a compressor system which facilitates simple, easy cleaning, an electrically operated spray jet for the perimeters of the carriageway, a hydraulically operated binder pump and a hydraulic mixing system.

New asphalt pavers that are easier and more intuitive to operate
For laying entirely new binder and surface layers, a few system suppliers offer an even wider range of wheeled or tracked asphalt pavers. The key features of the 2007 generation equipment are high laying capacity and layer thicknesses, combined with excellent compaction.

Interesting new developments in levelling, ergonomic design and operation have been promised by the manufacturers exhibiting at bauma. All these aspects are highly complex and require trained personnel. In the future the manufacturers will be concentrating even more on intuitive, safe operation, through easily identifiable function groups optimised for use on building sites.

Power at the touch of a button
The centrepiece of all the large-scale machinery, whether milling machines, recyclers or pavers, is the engine. For the individual system suppliers and their OEMs, performance is indeed still the prime concern, closely followed by the need to observe the latest emissions regulations issued by the American EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the EU and other industrialised nations. Generally engines are concealed behind noise- and vibration-insulated cladding, and so rarely get the attention they deserve. But the very fact that machinery manufacturers can operate on all markets around the world, whatever the local regulations on emission limits, ensures that it´s never ‘business as usual’.

Further information:
www.bauma.de

bauma
The world´s biggest international trade fair for machinery for the building and construction, building-materials and mining industries takes place at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre from 23 to 29 April 2007. This event, organised by Messe München GmbH, will take up over 540,000 m2 of indoor and outdoor exhibition space. The last bauma in 2004 attracted 2,801 exhibitors from 47 countries, all making full use of the fair as a platform for communication, product presentation and marketing. 50% of the exhibitors were from countries outside Germany. 416,000 trade visitors came to bauma in Munich in 2004, 29% of them from abroad. The number of exhibitors and the number of global brands among them is evidence of bauma´s central significance as an international forum for the sector. 93% of the exhibitors at bauma 2004 reported contacts with international trade visitors at their stand.

Messe München International (MMI)
Messe München International (MMI) is one of the world´s leading trade-fair organisations. It organises around 40 trade fairs for capital and consumer goods, and new technology. Over 30,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, and over two million visitors from more than 200 countries take part each year in the trade fairs in Munich. In addition, MMI organises trade fairs in Asia, Russia, the Middle East and in South America. With five subsidiaries in Europe and Asia and 66 foreign representatives covering 89 countries, MMI has a truly global network.

Press contact:
Henrike Burmeister, Press Officer, Capital Goods Fairs
Messe München GmbH
Tel. (+49 89) 949-20245, Fax (+49 89) 949-20249
Henrike.Burmeister@messe-muenchen.de
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This release was published on openPR.