Custom Marked Tape Strap for Construction Component Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
In construction applications, precise positioning and cutting of components like plumbing drains, anchoring bolts, and wood beams are challenging due to difficulties in reading blueprints and using traditional measuring tools in outdoor conditions, leading to errors and inefficiencies, especially with wood materials that are hard to mark and read after treatment.
Innovation Solution
A tape measuring strap with custom markings generated by a CAD software and printed using CNC machinery, providing precise information for cutting and positioning of construction elements, including the location of anchors, bolts, and other components, which is affixed to the components before cutting or embedding, ensuring accurate placement and reducing errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional measuring tools and blueprints are used for positioning construction components, then the process is simple and equipment-free, but measurement precision and positioning accuracy deteriorate due to difficulty in reading blueprints and using tools in outdoor conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The tape measure is pre-marked with all necessary measurement information, cutting lines, and component positioning marks before being applied to the construction site. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex measurements and calculations during construction, directly improving positioning accuracy while keeping the device simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a physical copy of the blueprint information directly on the tape measure itself, transferring digital or paper blueprint data onto the flexible tape surface. This allows workers to read positioning information directly from the tape without needing to reference separate blueprints, significantly improving measurement precision in outdoor conditions.
2Loss of information
If custom markings are printed on wood construction components to indicate cutting and positioning, then positioning information is provided, but the markings become difficult to read after pressure treatment darkens the wood surface
Solution Approach 1:
The tape measure acts as an intermediary carrier for the markings, holding the printed information separately from the wood component. Since the markings are on the flexible tape rather than directly on the treated wood, they remain visible and readable even after the wood undergoes pressure treatment that darkens its surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the substrate parameter from wood surface to flexible tape surface for the markings. This parameter change ensures that the marking visibility is not affected by the chemical treatment of the wood, as the tape material and its printed markings are independent of the wood's surface condition changes.
3Productivity
If multiple short beams are cut from longer beams to create structural components, then the required construction elements are produced, but material efficiency deteriorates and large quantities of expensive beam material are scrapped
Solution Approach 1:
The optimal cutting sequence and material utilization plan are predetermined and marked on the tape measure before the cutting process begins. This preliminary optimization allows workers to cut beams in the most efficient sequence, maximizing the use of each long beam and minimizing the length of material that must be discarded as scrap.
Solution Approach 2:
The tape measure provides self-contained cutting and positioning information directly on the beam, enabling workers to follow the optimized cutting sequence without needing additional reference materials or calculations. This ensures that the material-efficient cutting plan is executed accurately, reducing material waste while maintaining high productivity.
4Speed
If laser tape measuring devices are used for measurement, then measurement speed is improved, but the device complexity increases and the markings become hard to see in outdoor conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement information is copied onto the flexible tape measure in large, clear markings that are visible in outdoor conditions. Unlike digital laser devices that require viewing screens or digital displays, the tape measure provides analog visual markings that are easily readable in sunlight and various outdoor lighting conditions, eliminating the visibility problem while maintaining practical measurement speed.
Data Source
AI summary
In the construction of a building at least part of the information about the fabrication of the building, including what construction elements are to be used in the building and their location for carrying out said construction, is input in a computer software program to generate a plurality of marking information; said marking information is printed on a tape or strap, e.g. using a CNC printing machinery and the printed tape or strap is affixed or connected to a corresponding construction component to be used in said building. The markings may include the position of at least one of: beginning and/or end of a construction element; a cutting location for the cutting of a construction element; an anchor holder; nails or bolts for positioning string lines; plumbing drains; pipes; window assemblies; door headers; studs, posts and cripple studs; joists or rafters; chalk lines; plywood sheating.