PRECISE construction excavator guidance system

Solution

Dig to Grade. Without Waiting for Someone Else to Check.

PRECISE Construction solutions put live, centimeter-level grade guidance in the excavator cab, so an operator can lay out, dig, and verify a site with fewer stoppages and less dependency on a survey crew's schedule.

Recommended Products

What to Use

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E2

Core of This Solution

E2

A guidance system, not an automatic control system: it senses and displays the bucket's position, while the operator makes every cut by hand. ±1.5 cm horizontal / ±3 cm elevation accuracy, IP67.

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X7

Supporting: Site Layout

X7

Site layout and staking before excavation begins. X7's laser measurement and AR stakeout reach points a standard RTK pole can't get to directly. Optional, complementary to E2.

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T3

Supporting: Verification

T3

As-built and completion verification where the project needs a formal survey record of the finished grade. Optional, complementary to E2.

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Typical Tasks

What This Covers

  • Site Layout & Staking

    Establishing reference points and control lines before earthwork begins.

  • Trenching

    Tracking trench depth and alignment continuously instead of through repeated stake checks.

  • Bulk & Foundation Excavation

    Digging basements and footings to design depth in staged, layered cuts.

  • Slope Trimming

    Holding a consistent slope angle across long runs of cut or fill.

  • Channel Clearing & Fine Grading

    Finishing to design elevation without over-cutting and re-filling.

  • As-Built / Completion Verification

    Confirming the finished cut or slope matches design before backfill or pour.

Field Challenges

What Gets in the Way

  • No View of the Target

    On most excavation sites, the operator can only see the ground in front of the bucket, not the design target, and that gap creates the same problems on every job.

  • Stop-and-Check Cycles

    To know if a cut is deep enough or a slope is at grade, crews traditionally stop the machine, call in a surveyor or stake crew, measure, adjust, and repeat until it's right.

  • Built-In Idle Time

    Every check means the excavator sits still, waiting on someone else's schedule and availability.

  • Estimating, Not Measuring

    Without a live reference, the operator is estimating rather than measuring, so over-digging and under-digging happen whenever no one is available to check.

  • Inconsistent Results

    Without a shared, repeatable reference point, different operators running the same machine produce different results on the same task.

  • Three Separate Schedules

    Coordinating a survey crew for staking, a machine crew for digging, and a return visit for verification turns layout, excavation, and verification into three separately scheduled events.

Workflow

How the Job Gets Done

1

Lay Out the Site

Before excavation starts, establish site control points and stake out the key reference lines. A PRECISE RTK receiver such as X7 handles this stage, including points a standard survey pole can't reach directly, where a laser measurement is faster than repositioning the pole.

2

Set the Reference on the Machine

The excavator operator establishes an RTK reference point directly on E2 (a self-contained setup that doesn't depend on X7 or T3) and enters the target depth, slope, or design line for the current task.

3

Dig With Live Guidance

E2's dual GNSS + dual IMU sensing continuously calculates the real-time 3D position of the bucket edge and displays the live gap to the design target from multiple on-screen views (side profile and cross-section) on a 10.1" sunlight-readable touchscreen.

4

Adjust and Finish

The operator reads the on-screen deviation and corrects the next pass accordingly, without stopping the machine to call for an external check. E2 informs the decision; the operator's hands on the joysticks still make every cut.

5

Verify the Result

Once excavation is complete, confirm the finished grade or slope against design. A PRECISE total station such as T3 supports formal as-built verification where the project calls for a documented survey record.

Excavator and dump truck working an active construction site

Selection Guidance

If Your Project Is...

Live Grade Guidance

Real-time bucket position and grade guidance during digging — the core of this solution.

E2

Site Control & Staking

Establish site control points or stake reference lines before excavation, including points a standard survey pole can't reach directly.

X7

For layout, alongside E2

As-Built Verification

A documented as-built survey record after excavation is complete.

T3

For verification, alongside E2

Digging Stage Only

Only the digging stage, with layout and verification handled by an existing survey workflow or third-party crew.

E2 Alone

Sets its own RTK reference point independently — doesn't require X7 or T3

Full Machine Automation

A machine-control experience beyond guidance: fully automated grading with no operator input.

Not Offered

E2 is a guidance system; this solution doesn't include automated hydraulic control

Customers

What Our Customers Are Saying

Luis

Mexico

We no longer need a survey crew on-site. Just me and the machine — that's it.

Lucas Martín

Argentina

The Laser Survey feature on the PRECISE X7 has made our site measurements faster and more accurate than ever. It's like pointing and locking onto success every time.

Michael Tran

Vietnam

With PRECISE T3, I can finish daily layout tasks 30% faster, even when working solo. The one-click measurement is a real game changer.

Andi

Indonesia

Once we set the reference point, everything else just flowed. Accurate and repeatable.

FAQ

Common Questions

The core of this solution, E2, is a guidance system, not an automatic control system. It does not move the bucket or control the hydraulics. It continuously shows the operator the real-time gap between the bucket's position and the design target, and the operator makes every cut manually based on that information.

E2 delivers ±1.5 cm horizontal and ±3 cm elevation accuracy under normal RTK operating conditions, with bucket dynamic attitude accuracy of 0.2°. Actual results depend on correct reference-point setup, satellite visibility, and site conditions.

Not for routine depth and slope checks during digging: the operator reads the live deviation on screen instead of waiting for someone to measure. A surveyor or RTK receiver such as X7 is still useful for establishing the initial site control points and staking key reference lines before excavation begins, and for formal as-built verification afterward.

E2 is designed to mount on most mainstream excavators, including CAT, Komatsu, and Hyundai models, in both large and compact size classes.

E2 has built-in dual-SIM 4G and an adjustable-power UHF radio (0.5 W / 1 W / 2 W, 410–470 MHz), so it can receive RTK corrections via cellular network or a local base station without extra external modules.

Yes. E2's hardware is IP67-rated and rated for operation from -30°C to +75°C, suitable for tunnels, wet sites, freezing mornings, and hot afternoons.

E2 establishes its own RTK reference point at the start of a job. Teams that already use a PRECISE RTK receiver like X7 for site control, or a total station like T3 for verification, can carry the same site benchmarks into E2's setup, keeping layout, excavation, and verification tied to one consistent reference.

Get in Touch

Talk to PRECISE About Construction

Tell us about your project and we'll route it to the right PRECISE team.

Get a Machine Digging to Grade: Talk to PRECISE About Construction.

Contact our sales team to confirm E2 compatibility with your excavator fleet and discuss whether X7 or T3 make sense for your site's layout and verification needs.