ARC — Automated Robotic Complexes
A project we are developing on automation and robotisation of production and assembly sites, off-site and on-site.
The idea
Instead of one universal system, a set of specialised automated cells is brought to the production or construction site, installed in fenced zones with defined material hand-over points, and then works autonomously, with no people inside the zones.
The first cell: CellFab
CellFab is a temporary micro-factory that is deployed on the construction site and builds volumetric modules there. It is assembled from shipping containers and an aluminium hall, equipped to produce one module per takt, and then packed and rebuilt on the next site. Two industrial robots work from both sides of an assembly jig: the module stays on its datum and only the panels move, so no crane time is needed inside the hall.
Platform 49.2 × 18.9 m, hall 36.7 × 12.6 m.
9 trucks and 8 ISO containers; 5 working days from delivery to the first module.
Module 9.38 × 4.20 × 3.80 m, delivered to the cell as a flat pack.
6 stations, takt P50 13.88 h with 15 operators; about 250 modules a year.
Relocation to the next site in 5 days.
CellFab in 8 slides
Click a slide to view it full screen.
Why
While people and machines share the same space, the organisation becomes fragile and needs heavy risk management. Isolated cells with material transfer zones remove the human–machine problem and take losses, rework and waiting out of the site.
Where
Off-site: factory lines for modules and panels. On-site: dense urban construction, where the first material is reinforced concrete, the second steel, and timber where it fits.
Status
Early stage. The first step is a digital simulation of deploying the cell on site for serial production of a modular house (project code name Iceland). We are looking for partners: manufacturers, robotics companies and developers who want to test the first cell on a real project.