The screed plate is the central laying tool on the asphalt paver. It is located at the rear of the machine and strikes off the asphalt piled in front of it to the desired layer thickness, while vibrators and tamper bars simultaneously pre-compact the material. Typical laying widths range from 2.5 to 16 meters.
Modern screed plates are heatable (electrically or gas-fired) to prevent asphalt adhesion. The plate width can be adjusted hydraulically, and extension sections expand the working width for multi-lane roads. The evenness of the finished asphalt surface depends directly on the screed plate setting — errors here result in irregularities that are scarcely correctable afterward.
Leading paver manufacturers such as Vögele (Wirtgen Group), Dynapac, and Volvo CE offer screed plates with automatic leveling technology: sensors (ultrasonic, wire, or laser) control the plate to millimeter precision according to a reference line. Vögele's AB 600 TV system is considered the industry standard for high-performance screed plates.