Leica AP20 AutoPole

Smarter Layout and Surveying: What Contractors Should Know About the Leica AP20 AutoPole

Construction layout and surveying often come down to one simple reality: time in the field is expensive. Every minute spent re-measuring, re-entering data, or re-orienting equipment adds up to delays and cost overruns. Crews today face tighter schedules and higher accuracy demands than ever before.

The Leica AP20 AutoPole was built to address those challenges. As an intelligent prism system, it combines automation and digital connectivity to speed up robotic total station workflows. By eliminating common setup hassles and adding real-time intelligence, it reduces manual steps and keeps crews focused on progress.

At NOAR Technologies, we’ve seen contractors adopt the AP20 as a companion to their robotic total stations, and the results have been impressive. Here’s a closer look at the key considerations before investing in this tool.

Use Cases: Where the AP20 Delivers the Most Value

The AP20 shines in layout and survey workflows that use robotic total stations. Its core purpose is to make pole-based work faster, more reliable, and less error-prone. Common applications include:

One-person layout of anchor bolts, wall lines, and penetrations.
As-built verification, capturing field conditions against design models.
Large site control, where long days of staking points can benefit from reduced setup effort.
Dynamic environments such as active commercial jobsites, where interruptions and re-starts are frequent.

Because it automates common pain points—pole height entry, prism search, and pole tilt compensation—it turns repetitive layout work into a faster, more continuous process.

Cost Considerations: Evaluating the Investment

The AP20 is not a stand-alone instrument, but an add-on. Pricing varies by package, but it is typically a mid-four-figure investment. That includes the smart handle with sensors, communication hardware, and Leica’s supporting software features. It’s designed to pair with existing Leica robotic total stations like the iCON iCR70 or iCR80.

The real return comes from time saved per point. Consider a crew that spends extra seconds re-entering pole height, or minutes re-acquiring a prism that was lost. Multiply those inefficiencies by hundreds of points in a day, and the labor cost adds up quickly. The AP20 is built to eliminate those interruptions, paying for itself in labor efficiency within months for firms doing frequent layout or survey work.

Technical Capabilities: What Makes the AP20 Unique

The AP20 focuses on three main innovations:

PoleHeight: Automatically detects the prism pole height and feeds it to the total station in real time. No more manual entry or risk of mistakes when pole height changes.
Tilt Compensation: Built-in inertial sensors allow crews to measure or layout points even when the pole isn’t perfectly vertical. This saves time in congested areas and reduces leveling errors.
TargetLock: Keeps the robotic total station locked onto the correct prism, even when other reflective objects or competing prisms are nearby. This prevents downtime from false lock-ons or instrument drift.

Together, these capabilities translate into continuous, uninterrupted workflow—the difference between laying out 300 points in a day and 500 or more with the same crew.

Deployment and Training: Getting Crews Up to Speed

For crews already using Leica robotic total stations, the AP20 simply replaces the standard pole top with its smart module. Connection to the total station is automatic, and data flows seamlessly into iCON field software.

Training is straightforward. Operators learn to trust automatic pole height detection, use tilt compensation effectively, and manage TargetLock when moving between layout zones.

At NOAR Technologies, we typically see experienced crews up and running in a day. The AP20’s value is in eliminating manual tasks, so it feels like a natural improvement rather than a whole new system to master.

Lessons From the Field

Contractors using the AP20 have reported:

Elimination of height entry errors, which previously led to costly re-stakes.
Continuous one-person operation, even in congested conditions where keeping the pole perfectly vertical wasn’t possible.
Improved instrument tracking, avoiding downtime from false prism lock-ons.
Significant daily productivity gains, with some crews measuring 30–40% more points in the same shift.

These are small changes in process that add up to big shifts in schedule and budget performance.

The Bigger Picture: Making Layout Fully Digital

At NOAR Technologies, we view the AP20 as the bridge between robotic instruments and fully automated workflows. When combined with tools like the Leica iCR70 or HP SitePrint, it creates a seamless digital chain from BIM model to physical markings. Every step—design, setup, measurement, and verification—becomes faster, smarter, and less dependent on manual correction.

Final Thought

The Leica AP20 AutoPole may look like a small addition to a prism pole, but its impact on workflow is significant. By automating pole height, compensating for tilt, and ensuring reliable prism lock, it eliminates three of the most common sources of downtime and error in robotic total station work.

For contractors already invested in Leica layout solutions, the AP20 is a powerful upgrade that can maximize the return on your robotic total station.

If you’d like to explore how the AP20 could fit into your layout and surveying operations, contact us today. At NOAR Technologies, we’ll walk you through the details, provide demonstrations, and help you determine whether this smart add-on can make your crews more efficient and more accurate on the jobsite.