Recent years have seen machine simulators shift from the realm of science fiction and amusement arcades to emerge as a tool with real value for the vehicle and machinery industry.
Since their introduction in 2011, Volvo Construction Equipment’s (CE) Advanced Training Simulators (ADS) have proved popular and 160 units have been sold globally.
The manufacturer has currently developed its simulators for wheel loaders (with bucket, grapple and materials handling scenarios), articulated haulers and excavators (including industry-first simulations for high-reach demolition and pipelayer scenarios).
These ADS systems have proved particularly popular in the Middle East – and notably in Qatar, the UAE and Oman – where the workforce is relatively inexperienced, and where both dealers and customers have embraced simulators as a way to improve operator training, reduce risk of damage to machinery and ensure maximum machine utilisation.
Qatar’s Araco was the first dealer in the region to go in for simulators in a big way, followed by FAMCO in the UAE and Genserv in Oman. FAMCO presented its containerised simulator at a joint event with Volvo CE in Ras al-Khaimah in November.
In these markets, common operational problems include: operators dumping loads too hard and fast, which potentially damages the loading receiver on a wheel loader; spilling material, which slows production; or driving into a pile of sharp blasted rock, risking damaging the tyres.
Volvo’s Site Simulation programme allow operators to see and, just as importantly, feel how the machine would react in real-life situations, thanks to a high-definition 3D display and an electronic full-motion platform.
Operators are directly alerted to their virtual mistakes, and given the chance to correct their problem behaviour without affecting an actual machine or site’s safety, before they return to the real world.
The wheel loader simulator also gives operators individualised scores as measures of productivity and efficiency which can be used to help even experienced operators to further hone their skills.
Stefan Pettersson, application engineer at Volvo CE, says: “Interactive training is a truly effective tool. It’s what operators want and need – just look at the aviation industry. Pilots are required to complete hours and hours of simulations before they are let loose on expensive safety-critical equipment.”
Volvo Site Simulation is also used to calculate the optimum flow of production over a project site.
By inputting the density of the material, distances and topography of the site, Volvo consultants use the same technology to recommend fleet size and capacity, as well as the optimum speed and routes operators should use, based on the target tonne/hour and the cost/tonne.
Pettersson adds: “SiteSim offers extremely valuable insight for our quarrying and aggregates customers, who are – almost without exception – paid by the tonne.”
