Checking the Transportability of Panels – Using the AutoCAD .net API

It is one thing to build a panel. It is another to ensure that:

1. It can be lifted, and
2. It can be transported to the site.

Here is a video demo explaining everything:

Can a precast panel be safely transported? from Tek1 on Vimeo.

A short primer on the importance of efficiency

When you are dealing with 100s, and perhaps even up to a 1000 panels per building, this can become extremely cumbersome and time consuming. Why not automate the entire process? This allows you to do things faster, to get the drawings out faster, and (hopefully) to build the panels faster, and ultimately the building faster. Speed is absolutely paramount! The faster a builder can get on and off of a construction site, the faster they can get paid. This lowers their working capital needs, and accordingly, their financing costs (however that may arise). Speed is king!

Considerations When Transporting Panels to Site

Every truck has a:

• Size limitation (both length and height), as well as a:
• Weight limitation (there is a maximum capacity).

Secondly, trucks have different limitations, depending on where they are transporting a panel. E.g.

• Trucks passing through the CBD (central business district) have different: length/height and mass requirements compared to those that are not, furthermore, these requirements are different depending on whether the truck has a permit or not.

Let’s suppose you have the following hypothetical situation – take out a sheet of paper and pen and try and solve this by hand:

Truck A

• Length limitation: 6 m
• Height limitation: 3 m (but a height limit of 2.5 m in the CBD; and a height limit of 3.2 m with a permit)
• Weight Limit: 12 tonnes.

Truck B

• Length limitation: 4 m
• Height limitation: 4 m (but a height limit of 2.5 m in the CBD; and a height limit of 3.2 m with a permit)
• Weight Limit: 18 tonnes.

How on earth are you going to work out, quickly and efficiently, whether your fleet can transport the following panels:

1. ABC1 – Mass: 13 tonnes, Length: 5 m, Height 3 m
2. ABC2 – Mass: 10 tonnes, Length: 3 m, Height 2 m
3. ABC3 – Mass: 12 tonnes, Length: 4 m, Height 2.5 m

Problem

• Are you able to transport your panels by any of the trucks in your fleet?
• Which of your trucks can you use to safely transport a particular panel?

How was this particular problem was solved using the AutoCAD .net API?

• I created a data structure for each of the limitations imposed by a truck.
• Similarly, I created a data structure for each of the limitations imposed by each panel.
• And very simply asked whether a truck and lift a panel? The output was compiled and put into an Excel report. They key method tying this all together is the `CanLift` method on the Truck class.
• I used ClosedXML to combine it all together to produce a report.

Here is an example of the results:

Here are the key server classes:

Summary

• Tek1 has the resources and expertise in order to do Precast Panelling jobs fast and
• Accurately

These are just the tip of the ice burg in terms of the checks and processes we employ.