Robotic layouts can save time and translate more details from design files to project sites, freeing crew members up to communicate more and get ahead of potential issues.
As a partner, JE Dunn is always learning about innovative ways to bring our client’s vision to life. While we don’t believe in technology for technology’s sake, we do want our clients to trust us to bring together the right people and the right tools to meet their goals. In some cases, the best tool for the job might just be a robot.
JE Dunn recently worked with Blue KC, Performance Contracting, Inc. (PCI), and HOK to implement Dusty Robotics’ FieldPrinter to improve layout time and quality, and safety across eight floors spanning a 260,000 SF tenant finish. Since 2021, Dusty Robotics has assisted a number of JE Dunn Mission Critical jobs to increase quality and reduce onsite labor for new hyperscale data centers and other advanced manufacturing builds. The current Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) Headquarters project was one of the first opportunities for JE Dunn to use the technology in Kansas City.
How it Works
With the Dusty Robotics FieldPrinter, layout crews take design Revit files and create a view with the Dusty Robotics templates. The view is then exported into AutoCAD where you can easily make adjustments, clean up any misaligned objects and remove any duplicate lines.
Once the file is adjusted and meets site conditions, the file is exported to the Dusty Controller app on a tablet. There, you can further detail the file with different layers, line types, colors and notes that can then be printed by the FieldPrinter in your layout.
Increasing Efficiency While Minimizing Strain, Safety Risks
Traditional manual layout requires two people, or one laborer and a dead weight, to walk out, string out, snap down chalk lines for where walls, windows, ceilings, and more will go. The process requires repetitive squatting down and standing up and can take a team of up to eight tradespeople per floor to complete large or complex layouts. As part of the Blue KC project, PCI estimated the architectural layout would only take two people and one full day to complete per floor once the robot and its software had been adjusted.
Mission Critical projects saw similarly significant time and labor savings when comparing robotic layout to manual layout from two different zones. When using Dusty Robotics tools on one Mission Critical project, crew members found that the robot was more than eight times as productive and equally detailed as the manual layout process. The FieldPrinter could plot almost three times as many reference points and complete layouts in a third of the total labor hours as a human crew. By comparison, the human-plotted zone took 14 full working days to trace the layout manually, while the robotically laid out zone took the robot less than a 5-day work week to complete.
Greater Accuracy, Problem-Solving
While robotically printing the layout saved time on these projects, it also improved crew members’ ability to foresee and resolve problems with the design, whether they be functional or aesthetic. Mapping out the design in layers on a tablet first can help translate some nuances into a robotic layout that you wouldn’t traditionally see when manually laying out until after all layout is complete.
“It’s a lot easier to make sure you don’t have any errors,” said Taylor Schartz, BIM senior specialist for PCI. “You’re taking this CAD file out and you can look around it and see exactly what you’re about to put in that floor.”
In addition to having more details, the process enhanced communication between critical team members. As they cleaned up layout files, Schartz was able to directly communicate with the HOK architects as things came up. Normally, Schartz said this kind of communication is limited early in the manual layout process. The robotic layout process allowed Schartz to identify potential hurdles early on with the team and avoid having to fix issues later in the process.
“The communication and finding those small mistakes pay dividends later, because you wouldn’t run into that until the team was out in the field framing,” said Dave Carlson, JE Dunn superintendent. “Having those discussions with the architect and finding those issues ahead of time is probably the biggest time savings out of anything.
But construction team members aren’t the only ones who stand to reap the benefits of improved communication when using robotic layouts. Design elements and final extents of the spaces can be difficult for end users to visualize without tangible data points. Using Dusty Robotics for quicker, more complete layouts for the Blue KC project also allowed the project team to show owners and design team their design in real space and make decisions sooner reducing the impact on the project schedule.
Potential for Future Projects
While working with technology offered by Dusty Robotics and other vendors can bring increased innovation and efficiency, not every project will see the full potential of these benefits. Although only architectural layout was utilized on the Blue KC HQ TI project, the real benefit of robotic layout would be observed when the project schedule allowed the Dusty robot to perform all layout across the floor plate. With the right coordination and inputs, layout robots can mark out slab penetrations, in-wall rough-in, overhead MEP installations, furniture, etc. in addition to architectural partition layout. This holistic approach would multiply the benefits observed at Blue KC across every discipline.
As JE Dunn works more with Dusty Robotics’ FieldPrinters, these are some criteria we keep in mind during our robust planning process with clients.
Where robotic layouts could work best:
- Large, open floor plans where there are fewer people and materials to shift around.
- New builds or renovations once the shell is complete and dried in.
- Job sites where materials are stored on wheels to be more easily moved.
- Projects where the design is further developed, allowing the FieldPrinter to print layouts with details for multiple disciplines.
Where robotic layouts may not be a good fit:
- Smaller builds under 10,000 square feet.
- Floor plans where the robot may not be able to maintain its line of sight to print.
- Single-story builds where increased foot traffic makes maintaining site cleanliness (i.e. clean floors, uncluttered spaces) more difficult during layout.
While every project has different scopes and goals, our service teams can walk you through unique options for innovation at every stage of your construction journey. Visit the JE Dunn services page to learn more about what we have to offer our partners.
