Patents for machines and accessories
1962: First Patent: Trenching wheel with interchangeable cutting components and mechanical drive. This wheel which is basically agricultural operates within the axis of its carrier.
1974: Improvement: Hydrostatic drive for the wheel. Adaptation of cutting components with tungsten carbide points. Reverse travel enabling work over the whole width of the machine, or even offset. Creation of placing casing attached to and driven by the wheel.
1984: Carrier on trucks: Use of the double offset concept on a tracked carrier, increasing the trenching capacity outside the machine width, while limiting the maximum dimensions on the public road.
1988: Side ways travel: Providing the first trenching chain with sideways travel.
1989: Offset wheel: Creation of the first trencher with offset wheel.
1991: Chain Wheel: Creation of the first Chain Wheel.
1994: Creation of a new sealed wheel hub.
1995: Material recovery design: Creation of a new design enabling recovery and the loading of materials by a wheel trencher.
1997: Continuous piercing: Development of a specific "ULYSSES" machine enabling a notch to be cut at high speed in the tarmac and a cable to be installed.
- Installation at the side of railway tracks: development of a specific "ROBERVAL" machine with very small wheel base enabling networks to be installed along railway tracks. This machine has been approved by the SNCF.
- Deployment of networks on motorways and express ways: Development of a specific “Meteor” machine enabling the simultaneous mechanised installation of an optical fibre cable and a protective seal.
1998: Installation under water: Development of a specific "POSEÏDON" machine, enabling cables to be installed in canals, streams and rivers.
2001: Development of a road vehicle, with trencher and vacuum cleaner: “CLEANFAST”, for working in urban and suburban environment (sound-proofed process, not polluting).
2002: Catalysed concrete installer with mixing screw: “CLEANFAST”, designed for the installation of telecommunication networks and the filling of the trench with a special quick setting concrete.
2004: Industrial underground placemant of gas networks in urban environment: Development of URBAGAZ enabling quick, clean and safe installation.
2005: Machine for making large dimension trenches: Development of the chain trencher, enabling trenches to be made for large diameter pipelines in rural environment.
2007: Side cut process: A machine which enables narrow cuttings to be made for deploying “FFTH”. Fibre optic networks in urban environments.