When digging becomes child's play

"It should be easy to dig a well," they believe at Unicontrol. The Danish company then built an easy-to-use 3D machine control system for excavators. Laser Control from Mariakerke near Ghent has been an importer of the pioneering system for some time and is keen to showcase its benefits.

Unicontrol is a 3D machine control that is basically applicable to all excavators, from minis and midis to heavy long reach excavators. During development, strong emphasis was placed on simplicity and ease of use. The Danish company doesn't beat around the bush when it says that "our mission is to simplify the operator's work and avoid unnecessary challenges - that's why we developed a very intuitive and easy-to-learn system that requires no prior technical knowledge. It should be easy to dig a well." For Jeroen Gees of Laser Control, this was a good reason to partner with Unicontrol, because the demand for intuitive and therefore easy-to-use digging systems is growing.

A real gamechanger

Thanks in part to its unique value for money, the Unicontrol system is turning the 3D world on its head. "All types and sizes of excavators can now take full three-dimensional measurements and that makes this system a real gamechanger." In addition, the simple interface allows any operator - experienced or novice - easy access to menus and data. Jeroen Gees: "Perhaps it sounds difficult and time-consuming to master a 3D GPS control system. Unicontrol 3D is here to prove that it doesn't have to be that way. Within 30 minutes, the operator has mastered the basics. Just a few touches on the screen and he is ready to start. You can set an elevation on site, as well as define guide lines, so you can work accurately and quickly even without a terrain model."

Sensors everywhere

Unicontrol 3D uses special sensors on the bucket and/or tilt rotator, on the stick, double boom and even on the swing boom (useful on mini excavators). The ultra-fast sensors constantly keep the operator accurately informed of work progress. For tilt rotators with their own positioning system, that signal can serve perfectly well as input from the Unicontrol 3D system. Jeroen Gees: "Continuous monitoring of the quality of your position results in fast and accurate execution."

Store in the cloud

All Unicontrol 3D data is stored in the cloud, with connection to existing cloud solutions no problem at all. Jeroen Gees: "With just a few mouse clicks, you can upload project files from the desktop in the office to the tablet on site. You always have access to your data, regardless of location. Unicontrol's cloud solution helps you save time and build a paperless construction site." The terrain models to be imported use open formats such as XML and DXF.     

Continued focus on service
Jeroen Gees founded Laser Control in 1997 together with his wife Nathalie Devooght and immediately made it clear where their focus lies: "From the start, we have profiled ourselves as a service company. If we want to sell a new product, we will first look at the service path and our technicians are trained." For future users of Unicontrol 3D, this is quite reassuring. For example, the Android system on which Unicontrol 3D runs provides the ability for Laser Control to take over the screen remotely to provide support and arrange solutions. All at no additional cost to the user.