3D clash detection helps prevent logistics errors in construction process retrofitting
When global logistics company FedEx Ground retrofits a distribution hub to expand package capacity, it must be executed flawlessly. Additionally, delays caused by errors in design and construction must be avoided.
With increased demand driven by e-commerce, FedEx is undergoing unprecedented growth. Squeezing additional capacity out of its existing network of package distribution hubs is essential to meeting current and future e-Commerce demand.
When a key expansion took place at one of their distribution hubs, FedEx Ground looked to PrecisionPoint. Our mission was to document and provide 3D clash detection services of a proposed package handling system retrofit.
With 250,000 square feet of interior space, the facility served as one of several regional hubs where packages destined for delivery are sorted and distributed. Packages come in by the truckload on one end and run through a complex maze of conveyor belts where they are sorted by destination, before being loaded onto the correct trucks on the other side.
The system integrator engineering firm had designed a new network of conveyor belts to be installed in the same space as the existing material handling system,” said PrecisionPoint CEO Mark Hanna. “They used existing as-built drawings to create the new design.”
First Job: 3D Laser Scan Facility
Our first job was to 3D laser scan the entire inside of the facility. Thus, using two FARO Focus3D laser scanners, we captured nearly 700 digital scans. Fortunately, our crew had handled complex jobs of this size before. Thus, they completed the work in just six days, despite the fact the building operated non-stop.
Careful ongoing point cloud coverage inspection onsite ensured no spaces were missed.
Unify the Point Clouds & Model
Back at our Indianapolis, IN., headquarters, we processed the scans into unified point cloud models. We then proceeded to extract and model the existing conveyor belt network, including all support structures, mezzanines, and catwalks.
Next, we modeled the entire building envelope including structural steel and MEP systems. Modeling was performed manually using Autodesk Revit software. Included in this process, was the task of modeling the ‘clearance boxes’ above the belts. Each conveyor surface had an invisible space above it which could not be obstructed so that packages of a maximum size could pass through cleanly. We used EdgeWise MEP to automatically extract pipes and structural steel in the facility.
BIM & 3D Coordination
Once the 3D BIM had been created in Revit with positional accuracy of conveyor locations meeting the +/- 0.25-inch specifications, the project moved into the 3D Coordination phase. PrecisionPoint received a 2D digital drawing of the planned conveyor belt network expansion. We converted this into a 3D model in Revit. Next, we ported the proposed 3D model, the existing 3D BIM and the point cloud into Navisworks for 3D clash detection and analysis.
3D class detection: The software pinpointed almost 100 instances where the proposed conveyor network would clash with the existing conveyors, supports or other interior structures.
We reviewed each clash with the engineering team during a web-ex presentation. The clashes were quickly redesigned, and construction on the retrofit moved forward as planned.
“The entire project took us five months and saved the client considerable money and hassle,” said Hanna. “When a shipping company shuts down one of its major hubs for a retrofit, it must re-open precisely on schedule, which leaves very little time to encounter unexpected design problems during installation. The 3D Coordination project was well worth their investment.”