In today’s fast-paced construction world, precast detailing is more than just finishing drawings by the deadline. Since the projects become more complex with shorter deadlines, manual work is not enough anymore. Here, automation can make the work much easier.
Even if your project involves only one or two floors of a house or a big assembly of wall panels, automation is still useful. Software today, such as Tekla Structures, Revit and AutoCAD, includes tools that can speed up your work and improve accuracy, also allowing you to reduce errors by automating simple tasks.
These are five simple automation techniques that every precast detailer can use to work faster and avoid making costly mistakes.
1. Use Templates for both Drawings and Reports
Creating detailed drawings by hand for all design tasks is both slow and may lead to mistakes. Having reusable templates helps you keep your work both the same and efficient.
It is important to begin by making special templates for beams, columns, slabs, stairs and walls, as they are the most frequently used precast pieces. Every template should cover viewpoints, the marking of dimensions, ways to annotate and the company’s title blocks. Once you save these templates in BIM or CAD, you won’t need to worry as much about changes in your projects.
These templates can include:
- Standard view setups- Consistent drawing angles (top, section, detail).
- Annotation styles- Uniform text and labels.
- Dimension rules- Clear and consistent measurement display.
- Title blocks and company branding: Project info and logo for professionalism.
To keep things consistent and save time, use these templates in different projects.
2. Automate Element Numbering and Tagging
Having numbers put on by hand can create duplicated marks, cause components to get forgotten or make assembly more confusing. When tagging is done automatically, it is much easier to plan the production and erection sequence.
You can arrange tasks automatically by naming each element with a unique ID, following your project’s wall type, floor level and orientation rules. In addition, automation can create panel tags, mark cast units and stick on barcode or QR codes. Fusing drawings with these numbers keeps the construction, logistics and scheduling processes organised.
Benefits:
- Don’t let people make errors when moving the resources.
- Track the process from when the detailing is completed until delivery at the site.
- Make QA/QC steps more straightforward during manufacturing and installation.
3. Set Up Smart Rules for Reinforcement and Inserts
Manually putting in rebar, anchors and sleeves into hundreds of elements? That way is both inefficient and puts the system at risk. Because of automation, reinforcement rules become part of the design’s logic by themselves.
Arrange the rebar according to the panel thickness, the space between members and the strength needed, all aligned with set parameters. Today’s software can insert lifting anchors, connection plates and electric or plumbing tubes automatically. Changing the shape of the precast member should cause all the inserts in the model to correct their position to keep the assembly accurate.
Real-world impact:
- Enhances the accuracy of artwork on the body
- Makes modelling happen more quickly
- Reduces the chance of missing pieces arriving at the site
4. Processing Drawings and Exports in Batch
The time needed to sketch hundreds of designs individually is too much, especially when dealing with many drawings. Batch processing can produce many results automatically and with little monitoring.
Speed up the process by organizing precast group drawings and making drawing size, position and exports to PDF, DWG, IFC and CNC automatic. Get your files and folders into a single package by automating their naming and organization.
Outcome:
- Reduce the time you need for paperwork by a large amount
- Try to keep each drawing output in line with the others.
- Meet any deadline with complete ease.
5. Automate Quantity Take-offs and Material Lists
Going through documents for quantities the old way can be labour-intensive and isn’t always accurate. Minor errors in calculating how much concrete or rebar is needed can amount to wasting materials or waiting for the supplies to become available.
Automatic extraction allows for immediate selection of concrete volumes, rebar lengths and weights and inserts their count. They further tie any updates to BOQs with the latest BIM model and provide fresh reports for organizing both procurement and production planning.
Benefits:
- Precasters are machines that automatically batch and make concrete.
- Companies hire contractors to plan procurement and delivery.
- Users prefer to see both transparency and information about costs.
Final Thoughts
Precast detailing doesn’t have to be a boring, repetitive task. Automation will allow you to fully use your BIM tools, saving time, making your work more reliable and delivering better value with minimum effort. Working on a basic drawing template, a panel numbering rule or automating your material report is an excellent way to see improvements.
Moving construction operations online is the trend, and if you use automation, you will see improvement in your work and career soon. We guide NEO customers in using smart automation tools precisely and across their entire system. The use of advanced BIM techniques by our experts helps us ensure clients worldwide get their work done quickly and correctly.