HOUSING MANUFACTURING SYSTEM AND METHOD
A system for manufacturing homes is provided. An embodiment includes a sub-assembly plant for assembling planar sections of a home according to production schedule for custom homes. The embodiment also includes at least one final assembly facility located proximal to a subdivision where a plurality of the custom homes are to be situated. The final assembly facility is for receiving the planar sections from the sub-assembly plant and for constructing the homes from planar portions according to the production schedule.
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Applicants claim priority of Canadian Application, Ser. No. 2,563,187, filed Oct. 11, 2006.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to construction and in particular a housing manufacturing system and method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONHousing is a critical aspect of social living. The construction of houses and other dwellings is therefore a well-known and highly refined art. Construction techniques and esthetic styles are well known for single family dwellings, detached and semi-detached houses, condominiums, apartment buildings, town houses, and the like.
Automation is also broad reaching and used heavily in a broad range of industries and is used to build cars, trucks, planes, electronics, appliances and many other products. Automation techniques are increasingly being applied to the housing industry, and indeed are used heavily in the manufacture of modular and panelized homes. Modular and panelized homes are well suited to automation due the fact that each unit is substantially identical and therefore an automated assembly facility can be designed to build each unit in substantially the same way using substantially the same components for each unit.
Far more vexing, however, has been the application of automation techniques to conventionally site-built homes. Conventionally site-built homes are typically built on the final construction site. They are often favoured over modular and panelized homes as they can be uniquely designed, both on the exterior and interior, to reflect the individual tastes of the homeowner. Many agree that a community of conventionally site-built homes is also far more aesthetically pleasing than a monotonous matrix of identical modular or panelized homes.
The uniqueness and size of each conventionally site-built homes is anathema to prior art automation techniques. The uniqueness of each home makes it difficult to manage and store stock. The size of each home makes it difficult to transport the home from the manufacturing facility to the site of the dwelling.
The prior art reveals several attempts to automate the construction of conventionally site-built homes. In 1978, U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,952 to Blachura, proposed a technique for constructing individual houses in a factory and delivering them to prepared foundations on a large tract of land. The issue of size was addressed by locating the factory near the final tract of land where the house would be situated, thereby minimizing the traveling distance from the factory to the final site of the dwelling. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,504 to Cohen et al. proposed a movable manufacturing facility The movable manufacturing facility of Cohen intended bring standard size home building comprehensively within a controlled factory environment. Cohen disclosed that the main structure of the movable manufacturing facility was sufficiently tall to allow assembly and movement of standard size homes within. Cohen proposed multiple independent production lines to each produce portions of the dwelling in the form of subassemblies.
Unfortunately, the prior art has not proposed a practically feasible automation method for conventionally site-built homes. Since the facilities must be located close to the site for each house, the prior art facilities cannot produce enough homes to justify the capital investment required for the associated facility.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn an aspect of the invention a system for manufacturing homes is provided. The system includes a sub-assembly plant for assembling planar sections of a home, such as walls or floors, according to production schedule for custom homes. The system also includes at least one final assembly facility located proximal to a subdivision where a plurality of the custom homes are to be situated. The final assembly facility is for receiving the planar sections from the sub-assembly plant and for constructing the homes from planar portions according to the production schedule. Each home in the production schedule can be different.
The sub-assembly plant of the system can include an assembly line for producing at least a portion of the planar sections.
The sub-assembly plant of the system can include at least one of a framing station, a drywall application station, a mechanical services station, an insulation station and a covering station. The insulation station can comprise an injector and a flowable closed cell foam dispenser for injecting the foam into a cavity defined by a frame and a drywall covering of the frame.
The planar sections can comprise wall sections that are provided with a plurality of removable hangers.
The system can include a truck for transporting the wall sections includes an overhead rail for receiving the hangers. The truck can include a plurality of floor rails, one floor rail corresponding to each overhead rail. The floor rails are complementary to a skate, and a plurality of skates can be used to move each wall section.
The final assembly facility of the system can include at least one area for building a roof for each the home and an overhead crane for placing the roof on a respective home according to the production schedule.
Another aspect of the invention provides a truck for transporting planar sections of houses including a plurality of substantially parallel overhead rails for receiving hangers disposed within the sections.
The truck can include a plurality of floor rails, with one floor rail corresponding to each overhead rail. The floor rails of the truck are complementary to skates, and a plurality of skates can be used to move each planar section.
Another aspect of the invention provides a sub-assembly plant for assembling planar sections of a home according to a production schedule for custom homes, the sub-assembly plant for providing the planar sections to at least one final assembly facility located proximal to a subdivision where a plurality of the custom homes are to be situated. The facility is for receiving the planar sections from the sub-assembly plant and for constructing the homes from the planar sections according to the production schedule. The sub-assembly plant comprises an assembly line for producing at least a portion of the planar sections.
The sub-assembly plant can further comprise at least one of a framing station, a drywall application station, a mechanical services station, an insulation station and a covering station. The insulation station can comprise an injector and a flowable closed cell foam dispenser for injecting the foam into a cavity defined by a frame and a drywall covering of the frame.
Another aspect of the invention provides a final assembly facility for receiving and assembling planar sections of a home according to a production schedule for custom homes. The planar sections received from a sub-assembly plant that assembles the planar sections. The final assembly facility can be located proximal to a subdivision where a plurality of the custom homes are to be situated. The final assembly facility is for constructing the homes from the planar sections according to the production schedule. The final assembly facility can be movable.
The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to certain embodiments and the attached Figures in which:
Referring now to
Sub-assembly plant 54 receives raw building materials 74 via truck 82 and produces fully assembled wall sections 78 of each house 70 which are shipped from plant 54 via truck 83. Also produced in sub-assembly plant 54 are floor portions 80 which are also shipped via truck 83.
Each final assembly facility 58 is located proximal to a subdivision 62 or tract of land consisting of a plurality of adjacent lots 66 where houses 70 manufactured according to system 50 will be located. Lots 66 appear as squares in
Sub-assembly plant 54 is typically a permanent structure having a location that is chosen in a manner so as to consider efficient access to raw building materials 74 while also considering efficient access to the plurality of subdivisions 62. Other factors influencing the location of plant 54 include more traditional considerations including labour, electricity, gas, and water. As an example, and assuming the other factors are not a significant consideration, then plant 54 can (though need not be) located so as to be substantially equidistant from all subdivisions 62 while still being accessible to raw building materials 74.
In contrast to sub-assembly plant 54, each final assembly facility 58 is typically a temporary facility that is used for assembling wall sections 78 and floor sections 80 and the roof into the house structure. Each facility 58 is also used to complete final finishes on each house 70 before depositing the finally assembled house 70 onto the foundation of its intended lot 66. Thus, it is contemplated that sub-assembly plant 54 may at any given time serve different sets of final assembly facilities 58. For example, as different subdivisions 62 are filled with houses 70, then the final assembly facility 58 associated with that subdivision 62 will be dismantled, while another final assembly facility 58 is situated near a new, empty subdivision 62. Put in other words, sub-assembly plant 54 need not be supplying each subdivision 62 at the same time, and thus, the location of sub-assembly plant 54 can be chosen to be proximal to each subdivision 62 considering that not all subdivisions are being built at a given time.
Referring now to
Plant 54 also includes a wall assembly line 88 that can be automated with robotic equipment or manually implemented and/or a combination of both. In a present embodiment, wall assembly line 88 includes a plurality of stations labeled as 90-1, 90-2, 90-3, 90-4, 90-5, 90-6 and 90-7. Each station 90 progressively builds one entire wall section for each house 70.
Referring now to
The remaining stations 90 in line 88 are likewise configured to substantially complete an entire wall for a particular house 70. In
In
In
Once the mechanical components are installed in frame 98, frame 98 is advanced from station 90-4 to station 90-5. Station 90-5 is represented in
Note that while insulation 146 can be applied in any wall portion of a house 70, typically insulation 146 is only applied to the exterior walls of any given house 70. However, it can be desired to apply insulation 146 to interior walls where sound proofing is desired, such as between bathroom walls or bedroom walls. Thus, where no insulation 146 is needed for a given frame 98, gantry 150 can remain dormant for that particular frame 98.
Station 90-5 also includes a second glue gun 158 that that applies a second layer of glue 102. Glue gun 158 operates in substantially the same manner as glue gun 106.
Once the insulation 146 and glue 106 are applied at station 90-5, frame 98 is advanced from station 90-5 to station 90-6. Station 90-6 is represented in
At this point those skilled in the art will also now appreciate that covering 162 (and/or drywall) can in fact be any type of covering for frame 98 to present a visible surface for an interior or exterior wall.
Once covering 162 is applied at station 90-6, frame 98 is advanced from station 90-6 to station 90-7. Station 90-7 is represented in
As can be seen in
At this point it will now be reiterated to those of skill in the art that assembly line 88 is highly configurable so that each wall planar section 78 that is produced can be very unique in terms of dimensions, locations of doors and windows, type and location of building mechanical, type of external coverings. Thus, as purchaser's make requests for specific configurations of houses 70, so too can sub-assembly plant 54 be configured to schedule production runs of specific wall sections 7 accordingly. Likewise, such production runs on assembly line 88 can be scheduled so as to fill trucks 83 according to the particular final assembly facility 58 to which such trucks 83 are destined.
Various means of loading wall sections 78 into trucks 83 are contemplated. However, in a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, a hanging system is employed. Referring now to
As best seen in
As best seen in
Referring again to
Thus, once floors 80 and wall sections 78 are complete, they shipped via truck 83 their intended final assembly facility 58. Referring now to
Facility 58 also includes a pair of rails 218 that run the length of facility 58. Each house 70 is built upon a pair of beams 222 that run along the length of rails 218. A roof 226 for each house 70 is built at a first, beginning end of rails 218. Roof 226 is built from trusses 230 received via an inbound loading dock 234 which receives trucks 83.
Wall sections 78 and floors 80 received via dock 234 are assembled in order to build the exterior and interior shell of the first house 70-1 on rails 218. During such assembly mechanical components between each wall section 78 and floor 80 are connected. Once shell of house 70-1 is complete, an overhead crane or gantry is used to place roof 226 onto house 70-1.
Assembly facility 58 includes a plurality of stations, responsible for various stages of completion of each house. Facility 58 in
Once a house is complete, such as house 70-8, it exits facility 58 via an output docking port 242 transported via a specially designed transporter 246. Transporter 246 has a flatbed which sits above a front and rear cab, both of which having controls for steering the transporter 246. Transporter 246 is also steerable via remote control, so that the operator can be outside of transporter 246 and maneuver transporter 246 while having full view of all angles of transporter 246. Transporter 246 also has steerable front and rear axles in order to be able to tightly maneuver the house 70 to its final lot 250. The flatbed of transporter 246 is below-grade to facility 58, so that rails 218 are on the same level as the flatbed of transporter 246.
As best seen in
As best seen in
It is to be understood that sub-sets and combinations and variations of the foregoing embodiments are contemplated and within the scope of the invention. One such variation is shown in
As seen in
Referring now to
Another variation is shown in
The present invention thus provides, amongst other things, a novel system and method for manufacturing homes by providing a sub-assembly plant for producing walls and floors and one or more final assembly facilities for assembling full homes from those walls and floors and other inventory.
While the foregoing describes certain specific embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that variations, combinations and sub-sets of those embodiments are contemplated.
Claims
1. A system for manufacturing homes comprising:
- a sub-assembly plant for assembling planar sections of a home according to a production schedule for custom homes; and,
- at least one final assembly facility located proximal to a subdivision where a plurality of said custom homes are to be situated; said facility for receiving said planar sections from said sub-assembly plant and for constructing said homes from said planar sections according to said production schedule.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said planar sections include at least one of floor and walls.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein said sub-assembly plant includes an assembly line for producing at least a portion of said planar sections.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein said sub-assembly plant includes at least one of a framing station; a drywall application station; a mechanical services station; an insulation station and a covering station.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein the insulation station comprises an injector and a flowable closed cell foam dispenser for injecting said foam into a cavity defined by a frame and a drywall covering of said frame.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein planar sections comprise wall sections that are provided with a plurality of removable hangers.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein a truck for transporting said wall sections includes an overhead rail for receiving said hangers.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein said truck includes a plurality of floor rails, one said floor rail corresponding to each said overhead rail.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein said floor rails are complementary to a skate and wherein a plurality of said skates can be used to move each said wall section.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein the final assembly facility is movable.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the final assembly facility includes at least one area for building a roof for each said home and an overhead crane for placing said roof on a respective home according to said production schedule.
12. The system of claim 1 wherein each home in said production schedule is different.
13. A truck for transporting planar sections of houses including a plurality of substantially parallel overhead rails for receiving hangers disposed within said sections.
14. The truck of claim 13 wherein the truck includes a plurality of floor rails, one said floor rail corresponding to each said overhead rail.
15. The truck of claim 14 wherein said floor rails are complementary to a skate and wherein a plurality of said skates can be used to move each said planar section.
16. A sub-assembly plant for assembling planar sections of a home according to a production schedule for custom homes, said sub-assembly plant for providing said planar sections to at least one final assembly facility located proximal to a subdivision where a plurality of said custom homes are to be situated; said facility for receiving said planar sections from said sub-assembly plant and for constructing said homes from said planar sections according to said production schedule; said sub-assembly plant comprising an assembly line for producing at least a portion of said planar sections.
17. The sub-assembly plant of claim 16 further comprising at least one of a framing station; a drywall application station; a mechanical services station; an insulation station and a covering station.
18. The sub-assembly plant of claim 17 wherein the insulation station comprises an injector and a flowable closed cell foam dispenser for injecting said foam into a cavity defined by a frame and a drywall covering of said frame.
19. A final assembly facility for receiving and assembling planar sections of a home according to a production schedule for custom homes; said planar sections received from a sub-assembly plant that assembles said planar sections; said final assembly facility located proximal to a subdivision where a plurality of said custom homes are to be situated; and for constructing said homes from said planar sections according to said production schedule.
20. The final assembly plant of claim 19 wherein the facility is movable.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 16, 2007
Publication Date: Apr 17, 2008
Applicant: THE MATTAMY CORPORATION (Oakville)
Inventor: Peter Gilgan (Oakville)
Application Number: 11/675,938
International Classification: E04G 21/14 (20060101);