high-precision tapes and digital levels, or we can use total station and digital level measurement to ensure geometry control and a perfect match,” he adds. This minimizes the two biggest risks: errors in dimension and height. “It allows us to com-pensate for each segment in the three-dimensional components and add required parameters like precamber [a curve that reduces load] or shortening [of the span used in casting],” explains Gonzalo Expósito, Surveyor Manager at the Malolos-Clark Railway Casting Yard (Philippines), where SeCAC will cast 6,186 segments. It also controls the position of the expected span, including any possible manufacturing defects, to anticipate problems that might arise during erection. CUSTOMIZED SEGMENTS Not all segments are the same. You might say that the software customizes segments for shape compatibility, while adapting to accommodate very different dimensions. “The Roskilde segments weigh 115 tons and are 19.7 meters wide, 2.86 meters long, and 4 meters tall. The Malolos-Clark seg-ments, meanwhile, are 10.3 x 2.5 x 2.4 meters and weigh 65 tons,” says Expósito. The program also adapts to handle different types of bridges, ranging from span-by-span to isostatic (independent bridge decks) to can-tilever bridges (with beams that act as corbels or cantilevers). “This technology and precast construction allow us to speed up com-pletion and achieve high-quality manufacturing while cutting time frames, costs, consumption and social and environmental impacts, just as we did in other industrialized processes we used to perform manual-ly on site.” What’s more, we’re casting in a much safer environment,” adds Expósito. What’s the long-term goal? Using SeCAC to match cast all of the seg-ments manufactured by ACCIONA. HOW IT WORKS Speed up construction, improve quality and save on time, cost and environmental impact