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Flexible digital manufacturing of timber construction: the design and fabrication of a free-form nexorade

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Abstract

This article investigates the application of a multi-robotic platform to the fabrication of complex “free-form” timber structures. A concept of “smart factory”, with a 13-DOF robotic cell combining robotic mobility with fixed workstations, is proposed. A computational workflow was implemented to allow for fast iterations during the early design stage. The robotic cell design and design workflow are implemented in practical experiments conducted in the framework of intensive workshops. A productivity assessment is performed on a 50 m\(^2\) pavilion pre-fabricated with the proposed robotic cell.

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Notes

  1. https://www.insee.fr/en/statistiques/serie/001565188 and https://www.insee.fr/en/statistiques/1304009.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Navier, Ecole des Ponts, Université Gustave Eiffel, CNRS, Champs-sur-Marne, France

    Romain Mesnil, Tristan Gobin, Leo Demont, Pierre Margerit, Nicolas Ducoulombier, Cyril Douthe & Jean-François Caron

  2. Laboratoire GSA, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris Malaquais, Paris, France

    Tristan Gobin

  3. HAL Robotics Ltd, London, UK

    Tristan Gobin

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  1. Romain Mesnil
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  2. Tristan Gobin
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  7. Jean-François Caron
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Mesnil, R., Gobin, T., Demont, L. et al. Flexible digital manufacturing of timber construction: the design and fabrication of a free-form nexorade. Constr Robot 7, 193–212 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-023-00105-7

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