Komatsu is bringing its intelligent Machine Control technology (iMC) to another excavator size class with the introduction of the PC390LCi-11.
It’s the fourth iMC-equipped excavator in the Komatsu lineup but the company says it’s the first 3D semi-automatic excavator that combines the “nimbleness and speed” of a 36-ton machine with the stability of a larger machine.
“Whether it’s production excavating, utility trenching, site prep or any application where greater over-the-side lift capacity is required, this could be the machine operators fight over on the jobsite,” says Renee Kafka, product specialist at Komatsu America.
The iMC technology on the PC390LCi-11 uses a combination of GPS/GNSS signals, stroke-sensing hydraulic cylinders and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to orient the machine in space and guide the joysticks, hydraulics and bucket so that the operator cannot over-dig or cut a profile other than what’s detailed on the 3D topo map loaded into the excavator’s computer. In the fully automatic mode, it is physically impossible for operators to over excavate. The GPS guides the machine’s hydraulics and bucket to cutting precise trenches, slopes and swales with no need to refill or recompact to make grade.
The PC390LCi-11 features the new machine control joysticks first introduced on the PC210LCi-11 in September. Switches on these joysticks allow for switching between semi-auto and manual modes and toggling the design surface offset function.
The following is a breakdown of all the iMC features on the PC390LCi-11
An 8.85-liter, Tier 4 Final Komatsu SAA6D114E-6 engine powers the PC390LCi-11, delivering 257 horsepower. The machine boasts 6-percent wider track gauge and 18-percent greater over-the-side lift capacity than the PC360LC/i machines.