Video: Randek Robotic Building Systems

Wood has traditionally been used as a main building material and is considered the best material for framing. When wood is sustainably harvested, it is a renewable resource that stores carbon for the life of the building.  Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) garners the most attention but other mass timber products like Nail Laminated and Dowel Laminated timbers are also popular.

But, according to some, these technologies use more wood than is actually needed for structural reasons. For many low and mid rise applications it’s overkill. In many ways, wood framing with dimension lumber makes more sense because the walls are lighter; the insulation is in the wall rather than outside, so the assemblies can be thinner; and it is far more efficient in its use of materials – the wood goes a lot farther.

This video, produced by Randek, shows how the Autowall and Autofloor processes are utilized at H+me Technology (Formerly Brockport) in Milton, Ontario, just west of Toronto. It’s mostly automated but you will still see people placing 2x6s in jigs. However, these workers may not be necessary for long as RANDEK has launched its fully automated ZeroLabor Robotic System that can be integrated into existing production lines or work as a standalone unit.