Cold planer

A cold planer removing asphalt from a street at Sestri Ponente (Genoa)

A cold planer (also known as a pavement planer, pavement recycler, mill or asphalt milling machine or roto-mill) is a construction machine used to remove bituminous pavement or asphalt concrete from roadways, resulting in a somewhat rough, even surface that can be immediately opened to traffic. This is accomplished by bringing a rotating mandrel or "head" into contact with the pavement at an exact depth or slope. The mandrel has hundreds of hardened spikes on its surface, which bite and tear away at the roadway's surface. The surface material that is removed is normally fed by conveyor into a dump truck or semi trailer, but can be left in place or windrowed to be removed at a later date or recycled. A water spray system provides cooling for the mandrel, as well as dust management.