Automated Modularization for Precast Elements from Additively Manufactured Formwork (2022-03)¶

Precise, adaptive and individual production enables a high degree of component differentiation, making highly efficient and load-adapted structures accessible for precast concrete construction. While progress on the production side has been demonstrated by numerous projects in research and industry, the associated planning tools are less developed. In order to exploit the full potential of digital manufacturing processes, computer-based methods are therefore required that allow the flexible adaptation of component geometries and enable production-oriented planning. The modularization of concrete structures must meet the requirements of both load-bearing capacity and production. Planning tools must be able to map this complexity. Simulation-based methods, which represent modularized building structures as a complex system of component-specific interactions, offer the possibility of estimating the consequences of design and planning decisions at an early stage. This article presents an agent-based planning approach that takes particular account of the additive manufacturing of formwork as a supplement to existing production concepts. The geometric principles for the simulation-based decomposition of components are presented and integrated into an end-to-end planning process.