Trimble launches ‘fast’ 3D-scanning total station

18 February 2021


Trimble has launched the SX12, hailed as the next iteration of the company’s 3D-scanning total station and said to provide ‘fast, efficient data capture’ for surveying, engineering and geospatial professionals.

The new unit has a high-power laser pointer and high-resolution camera system designed to give extra capabilities in surveying and complex 3D modelling, ‘enabling new workflows in tunnelling and underground mining’.

Merging high-speed 3D laser scanning, Trimble Vision imaging technology and ‘high-accuracy’ total station measurements into familiar field and office workflows, the unit also has a new, green, focusable Class 1M laser pointer said to allow safe, long-distance viewing. This is claimed to enable new applications for laser-guided drilling and excavation guidance, rock bolt and blast hole set-out, and as-built verification for tunnel construction. Camera improvements aim to provide enhanced pointing and site documentation capabilities.

"Tunnelling projects are highly dependent on accurate positioning to precisely control equipment and track progress in difficult underground construction environments," said Boris Skopljak of Trimble Geospatial. "The combination of the SX12 and new software workflows simplifies the capture of site conditions, enabling tunnelling and mining surveyors to make accurate and informed decisions without the complexity and additional cost of multiple systems."