Underground Construction - December 2019 - 18

Directional Drilling

DCA Unveils Terrain Mapping Tool
Digital Control Inc. (DCI) has unveiled a
new terrain mapping tool that includes a
real-time bore planner for the horizontal
directional drilling (HDD) industry.
This is the first of several products to be
introduced for DCI's new earth mapping
product family, TeraTrak.
The TeraTrak R1 was first shown
to the public at the 2019 ICUEE show
and is scheduled to be available in early
2020, said Siggi Finnsson, longtime
DCI product manager.
"The R1 is a new dimension for
L O O K
terrain mapping and job-site data
collection," said Finnsson. "A consistent
issue in HDD is that inadequate terrain
Jeff Griffin,
information
makes drilling decisions
Senior Editor
difficult. The R1 provides terrain and
distance data in a fast and easy manner
to solve these problems. Anyone on the
crew can now create a comprehensive overview of the job site,
including existing utilities and other potential hazards."
Benefits include faster bores, greater cost savings, fewer re-drills
and fewer bent rods, Finnsson added.
Drill Calc, a function in the TeraTrak R1 app, allows the user
to enter desired or current depth and pitch to quickly generate a
rod-by-rod plan. In a matter of minutes, the user can perform a
rig setback calculation or determine the correct rod-by-rod plan

FR S IT

DECEMBER 2019 | UConOnline.com

to hit a target at a critical juncture or simply make adjustments
for terrain challenges. Upon first release, the TeraTrak app
will be limited to a maximum 75 feet for rod-by-rod plans with
increased capabilities through future app updates.

Experience
DCI has leveraged its 30 years of market experience with
DigiTrak products in the design and capabilities of the R1,
Finnsson continued.
"The R1 is designed to track straight and handle rough terrain.
With an accuracy of plus/minus 6 inches over 500 feet, it provides
the level of accuracy needed for horizontal directional drilling,"
Finnsson pointed out. "The R1 fits in a 36- by 18-inch case for easy
transport and weights14 pounds. As with all DCI products, the R1
is rugged, reliable and built to handle harsh environments."
For the bore plan, typically the user enters previously obtained
information on existing utilities. Using DCI's patent-pending algorithm technology, the R1 maps distance and elevation. Locations
of existing utilities also can be entered after the R1 maps terrain.
Terrain data from the R1 is streamed in real-time via Bluetooth
to the user's mobile device which mounts on the R1 handle. This
data can also be exported for use in other bore planning software.
"The R1 was developed to solve real challenges in HDD and
builds on DCI's vision of integrated products to boost productivity,
usability and safety," Finnsson said. *
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Digital Control Inc., (800) 288-3610, digital-control.com

http://www.digital-control.com http://www.UConOnline.com

Underground Construction - December 2019

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