TY - JOUR
T1 - Design and simulation of an automated robotic machining cell for cross-laminated timber panels
AU - Martinez Villanueva, Emanuel
AU - Mamledesai, Harshavardhan
AU - Martinez Rodriguez, Pablo
AU - Poostchi, Peyman
AU - Ahmad, Rafiq
N1 - Funding information:
Financial support from Mitacs (MA IT19846)
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is an innovative construction material that has brought advantages over traditional wood structures, reducing cost and lead time of buildings in recent years; yet CLT benefits primarily from offsite construction methods instead of automation or safety, while keeping the human onsite. The few advancements in automation for CLT panels have been in the implementation of dedicated CNC machines. Nevertheless, using CNC machines for machining CLT panels have disadvantages like clamping batches of massive panels with individual profiles, lacking the flexibility to access all acute machining angles, and struggling with the extraction of dust while the cutting spindle moves through large tight spaces. These disadvantages can be overcome with industrial robots’ help, which the construction industry has not been traditionally favorable on their application, giving then the research gap in this study. This paper explores the introduction of a robotic cell for the machining of cross-laminated timber panels. The robotic cell is designed using 3D modeling and validated through motion simulation in a virtual environment. The proposed cell design is based on a minimum viable product and compared against a minimum throughput benchmarked on the Canadian market. This study aims to research the feasibility of CLT’s automated machining by providing clear production characteristics of the designed robotic cell, such as material and tool utilization rates, lead time, or production efficiency.
AB - Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is an innovative construction material that has brought advantages over traditional wood structures, reducing cost and lead time of buildings in recent years; yet CLT benefits primarily from offsite construction methods instead of automation or safety, while keeping the human onsite. The few advancements in automation for CLT panels have been in the implementation of dedicated CNC machines. Nevertheless, using CNC machines for machining CLT panels have disadvantages like clamping batches of massive panels with individual profiles, lacking the flexibility to access all acute machining angles, and struggling with the extraction of dust while the cutting spindle moves through large tight spaces. These disadvantages can be overcome with industrial robots’ help, which the construction industry has not been traditionally favorable on their application, giving then the research gap in this study. This paper explores the introduction of a robotic cell for the machining of cross-laminated timber panels. The robotic cell is designed using 3D modeling and validated through motion simulation in a virtual environment. The proposed cell design is based on a minimum viable product and compared against a minimum throughput benchmarked on the Canadian market. This study aims to research the feasibility of CLT’s automated machining by providing clear production characteristics of the designed robotic cell, such as material and tool utilization rates, lead time, or production efficiency.
KW - automation in construction
KW - industrial design
KW - offsite construction
KW - cross-laminated timber
KW - robotic simulation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107859116&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.procir.2021.05.026
DO - 10.1016/j.procir.2021.05.026
M3 - Conference article
SN - 2212-8271
VL - 100
SP - 175
EP - 180
JO - Procedia CIRP
JF - Procedia CIRP
ER -