AUTOMATION IN CONSTRUCTION AN

OVERVIEW

BY :
ANANTH BABA . J



SL no. Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
2 CONSTRUCTION AUTOMATION

3

TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION AUTOMATION

4

CONSTRUCTION ROBOTS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS
5 ECONOMICS

6
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CONSTRUCTION
AUTOMATION

7

CONSTRUCTIOPN AUTOMATION INDIAN PERSPECTIVE
8 CONCLUSION
9 REFERENCES
Introduction
What is automation ?
It is a design engineering philosophy
that is directed towards enhancing the
automatic nature of a machine, process e.t.c.
Advantages of automation

Improved productivity
Enhanced product quality
Less time required for the completion of a
work.
What is construction automation ?

It is the use of a mechanical, electrical,
computer based system to operate and
control construction equipments/devices or
processes.
Its necessity
To increase project speed
To get quality construction
To minimize use of human labour
To work in hazardous & physically
dangerous environments e.t.c.
Is required where the skill requirement is
high
Types of construction automation

Fixed construction automation

Programmable construction
automation


Involves sequence of operations
performed by equipments fixed in
their locations.
Uses of fixed construction
automation

Mass production & prefabrication of
building components

Reinforcing steel

Structural steel

Exterior building components
Examples of F.C.A.


Automated rebar prefabrication
system


Examples of F.C.A.


Automated brick masonry
Examples of F.C.A.


Automated stone cutting

Programmable construction automation

Equipment has the ability to change its
sequence of operations to accommodate a
wide variety of products
Construction robots
Definition :
an automatically controlled,
reprogrammable , multi-purpose ,
manipulative machine either fixed in place
or mobile for use in industrial automation
applications ------ ISO
Applications of robots in construction

Robot excavator
Horizontal concrete distributor

Fire proofing spray robot

Exterior wall painting robot

Remote controlled earth moving
machine at a disaster site

Steel column erection robot

Economics

Economic benefits of construction
automation include
productivity
quality
savings in skilled labour



INITIAL INVESTMENT
COSTS
ROBOT OPERATING COSTS
Research and development On site programming
Product testing Labour cost (technicians)
Robot components Electricity

Control hardware

System dismantling and re-setup
Robot transporting costs
Maintenance and repair

Example: Economics of
Automated stone cutting

74% increase in productivity &
42% less time to produce identical product
as compared to conventional stone
cutting methods
Economics

Automation is a high investment proposal.

Cost of a machine ranges from as low as
Rs.3 lakh to a high of Rs 22 crore.
average expense per item = Rs. 7 crore

Machine maintenance is high

Advantages of automated
construction
Saves labour
Quick solutions
Improved product quality
No risk of health hazard to the laborers
No risk of work related accidents

Disadvantages of automated
construction
Brings down the labour force & hence
leads to unemployment
Very expensive
Their applicability is limited because
building design and construction methods
are not designed for it.

Construction automation
Indian perspective
Conclusion
Construction automation has achieved
remarkable progress during the last 20
years in countries like Japan and Germany
setting an example for other countries to
follow suit .
Proper judgement has to be made as to
when to go for automated construction &
the conventional one , considering
requisite factors.
References
1.Jeffrey s. Russel & Raghavan kunigahalli
construction automation.( As published
in The civil engineering handbook by
W.F.Chen.
2.Tatsuo Arai , Osaka university Robotics
and automation in the Japanese
construction industry
3. Automation during project construction
Anil Pandya .
4. WWW.CARL.COM