Automation within the building industry has been ongoing for decades but at a slower pace than other industries. So, what do we mean by automation? Let’s focus on two types: automation for building estimation and automation for roof truss manufacturing. Both will be discussed at the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) on October 7–11 in Milwaukee, Wis.
Takeoff Automation for Materials and Cost Lists of Wood Buildings
New this year, Structural Building Components Association (SBCA) Innovation Award Finalist CrowdBuild will present their automated online program at Booth 1503. The program generates a 3D model of residential buildings from PDF prints and creates reliable and consistent material lists and cost estimations within a few moments.
Cost estimation for each building by a CM can be very time-consuming and inconsistent. Soon, any LBM, wood component manufacturer, or home builder will be able to generate a consistent, reliable, and almost instant bid using TwinBuild LVM by CrowdBuild. Upload a PDF print of a wood building, and the program will generate a full whole-house-quality takeoff and estimate in real-time.
TwinBuild LVM uses cutting-edge technology to automatically create a whole-house-quantity takeoff from PDFs of 2D construction drawings at production-level accuracy, encompassing structural and non-structural components. Due to the level of precision, the output can be used not only for preconstruction bids but also to serve as a "single source of truth"for the entire life cycle of the structure. This fully automated experience eliminates the typically time-consuming, error-prone, manual takeoff and estimation process, accelerating job bids while significantly reducing the largest preconstruction expense.
The program has advanced features that allow an estimator to create dynamic and customized scripts for precise cost analysis.
- Automated recognition of wall profiles, opening types, and space finishings off of 2D floor plans
- Automated recognition of roof plane geometry and pitches off of 2D roof plans
- Auto-generation of complete truss layout based on detected roof geometry
- Fully customizable formulas for parts and assemblies
- Takeoff reports that can be exported as CSV (Spreadsheet) or PDF files.
Besides the considerable time savings for estimators, consistently having a very accurate takeoff with a complete costs and materials list will save tens of thousands of dollars—something to consider to improve your company’s bidding services, operating costs, and profitability.
Robotic Roof Truss Equipment
Automating the wood roof truss assembly process using robotics has been very difficult. The process appears simple, but overcoming all the variables is quite difficult. From the beginning, these challenges have created cost and price barriers that have stifled the startup cost needed to overcome these challenges. However, markets change, and with labor costs steadily rising and manpower becoming more scarce, automation is something to consider seriously, regardless of price barriers. The few vendors who have created roof truss robotic automated systems are gaining sales. Many are considering investing, while a small minority have already taken the early plunge into robotic automation for roof truss assembly.
These past months, I have been globe-trotting to visit CM locations using the three different equipment vendors' roof truss assembly automation equipment. What an equipment salesperson tells a potential buyer and what will most likely happen can be very different. Part of my services is separating the hype from the actual for all the CM equipment. Each vendor’s robotic equipment has strengths and weaknesses, and one of the three, I believe, missed the mark so much that I failed to see the benefits of their offering.
I am now offering a roof truss robotic assembly report to those interested. The report includes all three robotic truss systems (note: all three are registered trademarks of their respective companies):
- House of Design
- Randex AutoEye
- Trussmatic
And yes, it includes the House of Design (HOD) equipment. By now, most of you have heard that HOD has closed and is no longer operating. I assume that at some point, another truss equipment vendor may purchase the rights to that equipment and continue manufacturing and selling it, and in the meantime it will to provide a point of reference for those considering the costs and benefits of these automated systems.
