At the bauma trade fair in Munich, at stand FS.1011, Wirtgen presented five world premieres in the cold milling and recycling sector as well as numerous innovations in the slipform paver and surface miner sectors. The focus of the trade fair was on efficient and sustainable solutions for road construction and maintenance and for the extraction of target minerals with surface miners.

The ideal cold milling machine for all types of construction, world premiere

At this year's trade fair, Wirtgen showcased 12 cold milling machines, impressing visitors with its comprehensive and broad product range. Two of them are world premieres and at the same time a major highlight for us: the purely electric small milling machine W 50 Re (concept machine) and the large milling machine W 250 XF. In addition, Wirtgen also exhibited a powerful cold milling machine with an optional operator cabin.

In developing the W 250 XF, our main focus was on enabling the machine to achieve higher output with lower emissions. The dual-engine power system, equipped with two 18-liter John Deere engines, delivers a maximum rated power of 900 kW. Wirtgen and John Deere have joined forces to fine-tune the engine torque characteristics even more precisely to meet the specific requirements of the cold milling process.

The Mill Assist intelligent milling control system adjusts the power output of the two engines according to demand, ensuring efficient use of the machine. In automatic mode, the system always ensures the most favorable balance between performance and cost. It also offers three different construction strategies to optimize processes in terms of cost, productivity or quality. The machine on display is also equipped with a comfortable operator cabin, which not only provides the operator with a relaxed, comfortable and low-fatigue working environment, but also offers effective protection from weather and noise emissions.

Wirtgen W 250 XF, with a milling width of up to 3.8 m, achieves higher milling performance and lower emissions

World premiere of the new generation of wheeled cold recyclers and soil stabilizers

For the cold recycling and soil stabilization sector, Wirtgen exhibited a range of machines, including three new models: the WR 200/240/250 X. The focus during the development of these three machines was on ensuring simple operation, ergonomic design, high productivity and efficiency, and ideal mixing quality.

To achieve these goals, the control system and the design of the operator cabin itself required comprehensive improvement. The new multifunction joystick, fingertip controls and height adjustment using the multifunction armrest all contribute to greater comfort and user-friendliness of the control system. In addition to digital process monitoring, the large machine control panel display also provides various automation functions, application-related displays and the WIRTGEN GROUP CoPilot.

CoPilot provides suggested operating procedures during the construction process, interactive tutorials and self-learning functions, so that the machine and its various functions can be familiarized through animations displayed directly on the machine control panel. The proven Duraforce milling and mixing rotor guarantees consistently high milling and mixing performance. 

Exhibited together with the new WR series machines is the WRC 240 (i) rock crusher. This machine can crush artificially compacted block stone pavements and concrete fragments in situ and uniformly mix the resulting material in a single pass. The crusher has a working width of 2,320 mm and a maximum working depth of 510 mm, achieving a high output of 600 t per hour for cutting, crushing and mixing.

The new generation of Wirtgen WR series machines offers a more user-friendly control system and better mixing quality

The SP 33 slipform paver that can pave both in the normal direction and in the offset direction

At this year's bauma trade fair, Wirtgen exhibited a new compact slipform paver, the SP 33, which is suitable for high-precision offset and normal paving of various profile concrete structures. Thanks to its modular design and numerous configuration options, the machine can meet the construction requirements of a wide range of applications.

In offset paving, it is suitable for paving curbs, curbs with gutters, channels, drainage channels and crash barriers up to 1.3 m high; at the same time, paving concrete slabs with a paving width of up to 2.2 m is also entirely feasible. When used in combination with a Trimmer, the maximum paving width can reach 2.4 m. In normal paving, the tracks of this slipform paver can be rotated 90°, after which the machine pavers transversely in the direction of travel. The paving mold is mounted centrally beneath the machine, so that concrete slabs with a width of up to 3.0 m can be paved. The quick and easy conversion from one paving mode to the other further broadens the machine's range of applications.

The new control system features an event-driven graphical display that assists the operator in working with the two paving setups. ECO mode detects the current paving situation without manual intervention by the operator and ensures automatic, load-optimized adjustment of engine output for low fuel consumption and low emissions. The front oscillating legs and two rear track assemblies that can be extended laterally ensure zero-clearance paving and greater flexibility in concrete paving.

The AutoPilot 2.0 wireless machine control system is also available for the SP 33. It enables efficient concrete paving without the need for a stringline, thus saving considerable time and effort and improving safety for personnel on the construction site. At the same time, the system precisely controls the machine's height adjustment and steering. AutoPilot 2.0 can also pave monolithic structures with small radii and various shapes quickly and accurately. 

In the normal paving segment, Wirtgen exhibited an SP 94i slipform paver equipped with an integrated Dowel Bar Inserter (DBI) and a TCM 180i texture curing machine. Reinforcement with the Dowel Bar Inserter (DBI) increases the degree of automation, thereby improving the efficiency and quality of the entire paving process. When paving concrete over pre-placed reinforcement, the WPS 102i material feeder is a practical tool in the paving train. It is positioned in front of the slipform paver and enables side feeding of material. 

The Wirtgen slipform paver SP 33 can both offset-pave concrete slabs up to 2.2 m wide and normal-pave concrete slabs up to 3.0 m wide

Surface Miner 280 SMi – cost-effective and safe mineral extraction

At this year's bauma trade fair in Munich, Wirtgen exhibited the Surface Miner 280 SMi for the extraction of target minerals. It can load the extracted primary minerals directly onto transport vehicles via the discharge conveyor, or handle them via side casting with the discharge conveyor, or by rear discharge into windrows.

The machine extracts and crushes primary minerals in a more environmentally friendly way, thereby ensuring ore quality — without drilling and blasting, and with minimal environmental impact. The cutting rotor with a width of 2,750 mm and a cutting depth of up to 650 mm ensures reduced pick wear while achieving higher cutting performance.

The core component of this machine is the centrally positioned cutting rotor. The centered cutting rotor assembly ensures that the machine's weight is used to better effect during cutting. The 280 SMi can also cost-effectively extract hard rock with a uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of 100 MPa, such as limestone, gypsum or anhydrite.

The Wirtgen Surface Miner 280 SM(i) is a high-performance surface miner that can directly load, side-cast into windrows and rear-discharge into windrows, making it suitable for a wide range of construction applications