Developing a BIM-enabled robotic manufacturing framework to facilitate mass customization of prefabricated buildings

Abstract

Industrialized construction has been accepted as an effective production method for building project stakeholders to improve installation quality. Recent advancements in industrialized construction have focused on parametric designs for manufacturing and assembly to ensure accurate information flows and workflows across different project stages, however, they have not adequately addressed the challenges in mass customization of building projects to meet the diverse needs of communities. This study develops a technological framework based on Building Information Modeling (BIM) processes for mass customization of prefabricated buildings, which consists of parametric design and robotic manufacturing (RM) information flows to improve design flexibility and manufacturing precision. A proof of concept case study of a single-family house built with Light Gauge Steel (LGS) wall frames was conducted to demonstrate the usability of the proposed framework. Findings show that the BIM-RM framework not only helps bridge the technological interoperability gap between BIM and RM programs but also contributes to improved scalability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of design-to-manufacturing processes in construction projects.