Kobelco announces tiltrotator control partnership with Engcon and Leica at bauma 2019

First published at bauma - April 10, 2019

The tilrotator control system is scheduled for a full European launch in Q1 2020

Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe (KCME), Engcon and Leica Geosystems have announced they are jointly collaborating to develop a tiltrotator-compatible full machine control system for the Kobelco SK210LC-10 excavator.

The three partners claim the new system will dramatically improve on-site productivity. It combines 3D Machine Control (3DMC) technology from Leica Geosystems with the tiltrotator solution from Engcon. A full European launch of the system is expected in Q1 2020.

The Tiltrotator attachment enables an excavator’s bucket or other power tool to tilt +/-45° and fully rotate 360°. This action is designed to improve the machine’s efficiency for a variety of working methods, increasing the productivity of the operator through the automation of difficult movements.

The combination of the Leica Geosystems Machine Control iXE3 and the automated Engcon tiltrotator means that the operator can adjust the bucket in any rotated position to the construction surface, without being influenced by the inclination of the machine body.

The three partners say their collaboration will result in a system to control boom movement up and down, bucket angle, tilt angle and rotation angle precisely to the construction surface with just one single movement of the control lever.

They add that the ability of the system to automate the movement of the tiltrotator will improve efficiency of any activity on the jobsite, enabling the operator to perform complicated tasks proficiently without the need to learn how to control the system manually.

“This solution is completely flexible, allowing the operator to choose between Auto Boom Control, Auto Bucket Control, Auto Tilt Control and Auto Rotation Control, or a combination of all as required to give the operator maximum control,” the companies said in statement.

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