Wirtgen showcases automated compaction for warm mix asphalt

The Wirtgen Group booth at this year’s NordBau expo. Image: Wirtgen Group

Warm mix asphalt, also known as low-temperature asphalt, reduces emissions by cutting processing temperatures and will be required from January 2027 when workplace exposure limits for bitumen fumes and aerosols are tightened from 10 mg/m³ to 1.5 mg/m³.

The change is expected to affect the entire paving process, from asphalt production and logistics to compaction.

Friedhelm Pahlke, Vögele’s head of sales for Germany and Austria, explained at the demonstration, “Once the warm mix asphalt has been produced, it must be transported to the construction site as quickly as possible and paved and compacted without delays or interruptions. As the time window here is significantly shorter than for conventional asphalt paving, the logistics and the corresponding plant and machine components in the process chain are all the more important.”

At the special exhibition called ‘Warm mix asphalt – the future of asphalt construction’, Wirtgen application specialists demonstrated Hamm’s Smart Compact Pro with Realtime Density Scan, which integrates new sensors into an automated compaction process. The system enables continuous density measurement, reduces unnecessary roller passes, and removes the need for time-consuming core samples. Wirtgen said the approach improves surface quality, extends road life and lowers costs over time.

Alongside compaction technology, the company also showcased pavers from Vögele, rollers from Hamm, a small milling machine from Wirtgen, and Kleemann’s MOBISCREEN MSC 703 EVO classifying screen, used in quarrying, recycling and aggregate production.