World of Asphalt/AGG1 Aggregates Forum & Expo

World of Asphalt 2012 and the co-located AGG1 Aggregates Forum & Expo will be the largest in the history of the two events. Guy Woodford reports on some of the technology and equipment set to be on show

With over 6,500m² of exhibit space available, World of Asphalt 2012 (WoA) is among the global showpiece events of the year for all asphalt, pavement maintenance and traffic safety industry professionals.

An impressive 2,415m² has also already been reserved for the AGG1 Aggregates Forum & Expo (AGG1), making it a must for anyone in the aggregates business.

More than 300 exhibitors will showcase their products and services across the two events taking place at the Charlotte Convention Centre in Charlotte, North Carolina, from 13-15 March. Asphalt production and recycling equipment; road building machinery; pavement maintenance equipment; soil stabilisers; work zone safety and traffic management solutions; and trucks and trailers, are just some of the items and themes being featured.

For WoA show director Melissa Magestro, the importance of this year’s shows has never been greater. “This is where the industry gathers to network and gain the essential product and operational knowledge they need to stay ahead in these economic times,” she said. “Attendees tell us that seeing new products is the number-one reason they attend, and they’ll be able to compare the latest technologies and talk with technical experts.”

The show websites offer an interactive ‘show planner’ that visitors can use to co-ordinate their visits to exhibit booths, education sessions and meetings with exhibiting companies. Online planning tools also include an Industry Leaders Directory and New Products and Technologies Preview to help attendees select the products and people they want to see.

The People, Plants and Paving Training Programme (PPP), the Asphalt Pavement Alliance’s (APA) Asphalt Pavement Conference and the AGG1 Academy will provide more than 90 learning opportunities during the three-day shows.

Designed for paving contractors of all sizes as well as allied companies, the PPP training programme aims to benefit paving and plant operators, foremen, superintendents, project managers and owners. Innovations in asphalt paving and the latest production efficiencies will be covered in five programmes: safety; pavement preservation; sustainability; paving; and plant production. A sixth will examine management and leadership skills to help company personnel achieve their full potential.

The APA event will target paving professionals in the public and private sector involved in the design, construction and maintenance process. Over a day and a half, the conference will feature three main topic areas - Innovations in Paving, Pavement Preservation with Plant Mix and Keeping Competitive. The event’s interactive roundtable format aims to help participants share ideas and experiences to increase their effectiveness and reduce costs.

The AGG1 Academy will contain practical and timely content for aggregates producers, suppliers and customers, supplied by member committees of the 3878 National Stone Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA), which owns AGG1. Presentations will deal with environmental issues; health and safety; plant operations; drilling and blasting; dredging; communications and community relations; management and business development; automation, technology and operations; and sustainability. The aim will be to give all levels of industry professionals, from operators and foremen to managers, information they can use to improve workplaces and productivity.

2708 Major Wire Industries plan to use AGG1 as a platform to educate aggregate producers on how to eliminate screening inefficiencies. It will also be celebrating the 15th anniversary of its Flex-Mat independently vibrating wire technology.

Founded in 1884, the Canadian-headquartered firm designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of woven wire, Flex-Mat and other innovative screen media options for the quarry, mining, recycling and industrial markets.

178 Caterpillar will showcase its new five-strong line of K Series medium wheel loaders during AGG1. The 950K, 962K, 966K, 972K and 980K machines are said by the company to offer high productivity and excellent fuel efficiency. Each has a new operator station, new electro-hydraulic steering with joystick or steering wheel control, performance series buckets and a more efficient drive train. All of the loaders feature new designs and engines to meet Tier 4 Interim emission standards in the United States.

US-based company 1253 Asphalt Drum Mixers (ADM) will be exhibiting their stationary and self-erect asphalt storage silos, which receive freshly mixed asphalt from a conveyor and keep it at a constant temperature until discharge.

The company says their stationary and self-erect storage silo designs allow them to be used in various asphalt plant configurations, and multiple capacity options are available to accommodate the output of any operation.

ADM’s self-erect models have a capacity ranging from 30-75tonnes, and stationary silo models hold between 100-300tonnes of asphalt mix. All models are equipped with alarms to alert operators when asphalt levels are high, and they feature a fiberglass blanket insulation to provide superior heat retention while the mixture is stored. Optional oil or electric heating systems are available to ensure asphalt is kept at the desired temperature.

Each silo features a heavy-duty steel design and the barrel is continuously double-welded at the seams. It steeply tapers to a 76.2cm discharge opening where a pneumatic batcher with a dual clamshell gate greatly reduces the occurrence of product segregation and coning.

Self-erect silos are transported on a gooseneck trailer with a fifth-wheel kingpin hitch. Large units feature a trailer with a quad-axle and air ride suspension. Small and midsized trailers use leaf spring suspension and either a tandem or tri-axle. The unit’s design allows the silo and conveyor to fold into the upright position quickly and easily.

Safety features on all models include skid-resistant maintenance platform, top perimeter guardrail and solid-steel toe-stop kickplate. All silos can be equipped with low material signal alarms and LC1000 loadout computers, which work in conjunction with truck scales, weight batchers or reverse (negative) weigh systems. The LC1000 allows operators to access, among other things, truck loading data, job files and silo inventory.

6934 Metso will be launching its C120 jaw crusher and Lokotrack LT120 jaw plant to the North American market at AGG1. The newest member of the field-proven C-Series range of crushers, the C120 jaw crusher is said by the company to combine proven reliability, crushing efficiency and versatility for both stationary and mobile applications.

The C120 is at the heart of the new Lokotrack LT120, the latest and most hi-tech of Metso’s track-mounted jaw plants. Suitable for use in challenging large-scale aggregate processing and construction applications, the LT120 includes a hydraulic drive system for trouble-free operation, and optimised design for quick and safe maintenance, and a compact profile for easy transportation.

“Tough market conditions mean that customers will be looking to maximise their investment, while also cutting energy and production costs,” said Adrian Quigg, vice president distributor sales, Americas.

“Going forward, the ability of Metso’s ‘systems-capable’ distributors to develop and deliver cost-effective plant engineering solutions will be critical to our customers in North America.”

2394 Volvo Construction Equipment (VCE) will have a strong product presence at both WoA and AGG1. Among their latest equipment being showcased will be the PF6110 asphalt paver; the DD 118HF asphalt compactor; the MT2000 milling machine; the G946B motor grader; the L250G wheel loader; and the EC380D crawler excavator.

According to VCE, the March 2011-launched L250G wheel loader fills a market need for a machine in the 39tonnes weight category. Designed to match the needs of on-highway trucks, the L250G is purpose built to be a heavy-duty machine with plenty of power and features larger bucket sizes. The L250G is fitted with a fuel efficient Tier 4i/Stage IIIB certified engine.

The G946B motor grader features new, larger displacement engines with greater power and torque. The new units, which meet low emission requirements of Stage IIIB/Tier 4i legislation, feature cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology. The technology lowers the temperature in the combustion chamber and reduces the formation of nitrogen oxides by up to half.

1228 MOBA will be exhibiting its Moba-matic and Moba-matic II control systems for pavers and milling machines, as well as Moba Pave-IR for detecting thermal segregation.

More than 50 Moba Pave-IR systems are operating in the United States, said by Moba to be improving the asphalt quality in road building projects. Using infrared sensors, the system produces a thermal profile for the entire project.

The Moba-matic and Moba-matic II use a CAN-based system with a wide variety of sensors, offering the user most diverse adjustment possibilities in road building. Designed for use under harsh conditions, the control systems are protected against dust, moist, heat, cold and vibrations. Including the same functions as the Moba-matic, the Moba-matic II also features an 8.89cm colour display, operation via an intuitive symbol language and further service options. With only four buttons, Moba say both operating units remain easy to use.

Finally, US-based 1250 Astec Industries will be unveiling its new plant control system PMIII. This PLC-based system consists of individual modules for burners, silos, motor controls and blending and loadout. The modules can be installed together as a package or individually, maximising the options for customising the controls at an asphalt site. Built-in diagnostics save time when service is required.

Another new Astec product, the Data Acquisition System Hub, or DASH, provides a real-time snapshot of operations. DASH gathers information from multiple plants and makes it accessible via a web browser, or flash compatible devices such as Android tablets and smartphones. With DASH installed, trends can be analysed swiftly throughout an operation in order to make more effective management decisions. DASH is compatible with Astec control systems TCII, PMII and PMIII.