Construction Robots for Bricklaying

 Construction Robots for Bricklaying

Bricks are one of the oldest building materials, with sun-dried types dating back to 7000 BC and the first kiln-fired blocks dating back to 3500 BC. The traditional bricklaying process entails spreading mortar, positioning a brick, and smoothing out excess mortar with a trowel; unfortunately, this process hasn't advanced much to date.

Furthermore, one of the major challenges in the construction industry is low productivity, and labor productivity, in particular, has been steadily declining for decades.

Finding qualified workers, particularly bricklayers and masons, has become increasingly difficult in recent years. According to a National Association of Home Builders survey, nearly two-thirds of bricklaying contractors struggle to find skilled workers.

Bricklaying Robots' Evolution

British Pathé rediscovered Motor Mason in its newsreel archive in 2014 and uploaded the footage. Motor Mason is a mechanical bricklayer that was invented in the mid-1960s. It claimed to lay bricks 5-10 times faster than the traditional method and was widely regarded as the solution to housing shortages.

Motor Mason was mounted on a rail parallel to a wall, along which it dropped mortar before quickly inserting individual brick blocks. After a few years, Motor Mason abruptly disappeared from the construction industry, leaving a mystery in its wake.

Construction Robotics debuted the first modern bricklaying robot, the SAM100 (Semi-Automated Mason), at the World of Concrete event in 2015. SAM100 increases productivity by three to five times but has not been implemented due to social concerns such as worker safety and work quality.

Fastbrick Robotics, an Australian company, released its automated bricklaying machine, Hadrian X, within a few years of its initial release. This robot is technologically advanced and has several new features.

SAM100

Nathan Podkaminer and Scott Peters founded Construction Robotics in 2007 to use robotics and automation to speed up the construction process. They developed SAM, a robot, after years of experimentation and failure.

SAM100 was the first commercially available automated bricklaying robot for on-site masonry construction. It works in conjunction with skilled masons. One mason must maneuver it and load it with bricks and mortar, while another must conceal wall ties, remove excess mortar, and lay bricks in corners or other inaccessible areas.

SAM100 is made up of the following parts:

1. A massive robotic arm with numerous joints
2. A laser eye is used to detect the depths and distances needed to place each brick block.
3. A pair of poles on the work area's left and right.
4. The job mapping design was generated by computer-aided manufacturing.
5. A command and control panel

SAM100 is outfitted with a plethora of sensors that measure and track velocity, incline angles, orientation, outside and enclosure temperature, humidity, run hours, GPS, safety, and a variety of other parameters. It can also assess mortar slump and quality.

X HADRIAN

Hadrian X automates brick loading, cutting, routing, and placement, and it employs CAD to complete end-to-end bricklaying. Steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber composites are used to construct it. A network of computers, vision cameras, servo motors, and a laser tracker that monitors its laying position control Hadrian X.

Hadrian X employs an industrial adhesive rather than traditional mortar, which increases the structure's strength by 4-5 times. This will also increase the building's thermal and acoustic efficiency by up to 70%. The use of adhesive reduces the build time because the setting time is significantly less than that of cement mortar.

Hadrian X's operating procedure is as follows:

1. A 3D model of the building is created with custom software.
2. Data is fed into the Hadrian X Machine, which prints the structure course by course, similar to a 3D printer.
3. This machine also includes all brick cutting and routing for electrical and plumbing services, so the finished structure is ready for installation in a matter of days.
4. There are also door and window openings.

Benefits of Robotic Bricklaye

1. A robotic bricklayer can lay up to 3000 bricks per day, shortening the project's overall duration.
2. A robotic bricklayer works nonstop and does not require breaks.
3. A robotic bricklayer continues to work as long as it has enough fuel, mortar, and brick to do so, significantly increasing productivity and efficiency.
4. It can save up to 50% on labor costs.
5. A robotic bricklayer reduces the amount of physical labor required, allowing them to work more safely, with less fatigue and risk of injury.
6. A robotic bricklayer can improve the overall quality of wall alignment.
7. A robotic bricklayer is exceptionally skilled at vertically lining up bricks.
8. A robotic bricklayer can help to alleviate labor shortages.

Advantages and disadvantages of robotic bricklayer

1. Robotic machines are expensive.
2. To operate a machine effectively, proper training is required.
3. The installation and alignment of the machine on-site takes time.
4. The robotic machine requires fuel to operate, which has an impact on the environment.

From Motor Mason to other types of automated bricklaying robots, technology has advanced significantly. Bricklaying machines are now integrated with CAD and data tracking technologies, making buildings more productive, safe, and sustainable than ever before. As these technologies develop and become more widely used, we can expect more transformations in masonry and construction automation.