Contemporary Manufacturing

 

Most of the components in a building are manufactured in an off-site plant.  The impact of the information technology that makes possible the Intelligent Building concept is probably felt in those plants first. This post provides some illustrations of contemporary techniques, some of which may well extend to the on-site construction of a building or into  its later operation, particularly as BIM model use extends to manufacturing and assembly.

There is clearly a considerable overlap between what we see here and the topics of robotics and Artificial Intelligence.

Numerically Controlled Machines

These machines are not generally adaptive and require extensive planning to make the parts, but they are nonetheless important.

• Making a V8 Engine Block – 10:58 min 2007 – What’s important here is that it’s working with steel.  Some of the newer techniques below don’t (yet) have that ability.
• Step-NC Machining – 8:38min 2008 – While this is aimed at the automotive industry, it’s plausible to extrapolate that a similar approach can be used within the construction industry, either for parts or for on-site construction.

3D Printing – The Hot Topic

• The 3D Printing Revolution – 2012 - 6:11min – An overview looking towards the future of personal printing.  It’s somewhat simplistic, but nonetheless gives a good overview of that level.
• The Future of 3D Printing – 2012 CES – 17:43min – This shows two CEO’s from companies making 3D printers for the consumer market, talking about and displaying their products,
• Cubex 3D Printer – 2013 CES – 1:14min – Shows what has developed in a year for the desktop printer market.
• EOS 3D Printer 2012 – 2:08 min - The two prior videos use only plastics.  This machine uses sintered metal to produce its parts.
• Discovery Channel Covers DShape 3D Printing – 6m x 6m – 6:03 concrete printer – it solidifies sand to make a special form of concrete.
• Printing Titanium bicycle parts – 2012 – 4:07 – Highly complex shape in titanium.  There’s actually a totally (almost) 3d-Fabricated bike (2011)