Virtual scaffolding
Add to that expanding list, virtual scaffolding. Scaffolding specialist, the German-based manufacturer Layher, has developed its own suite of software programs, which allow you to erect a facade scaffold around your building, before setting foot on site.
The most recent addition to the family is the digital rectifier. It was launched at the Baumer exhibition in Germany this April but is brand new to the UK market. It produces a correctly-scaled picture of a building using digital technology, enabling you to calculate scaffolding requirements more accurately.
The rectifier works in conjunction with another piece of Layher software, the scaffold planner. This calculates scaffold demand and allows you to virtually create your facade scaffold on screen. The programs are compatible only with Layher SpeedyScaf scaffolding system at present, but Layher is adapting them to the Allround scaffolding system, more commonly used in the UK.
The digital rectifier works by creating a digital version of the picture of your building and scaling it accurately. You scan or download a picture of your building into the program, then enter the measurements for a specified section of the building. This appears as a rectangle on the picture. The program then scales the whole building correctly.
This process eliminates the perspective disortions that normally occur when taking a picture, and would otherwise require expensive camera equipment to correct. It also means there is no need to overmeasure the building and enter the dimensions into the software program manually, which reduces the possibility of incorrect measurements.
And, as you should have a better idea of your scaffolding requirements, there should be less nasty surprises when you start work on site, less risk of over-ordering scaffolding and less unwanted equipment sitting around, wasting money and taking up space.
Most scaffolding problems are simple to solve, but the software used to solve them is complicated, requires a lot of training and even a dedicated member of staff to operate it
Jochen Weiss, a developer in Layher’s technical department
Scaffold planner
It is possible to download digital photographs or to scan in analogue ones into the program, and it will also accept engineering drawings and building plans as the basis for creating the scaffold.
Once you have scaled the picture in the digital rectifier, you then import it into the scaffold planner. You load in the measurements, scale information and scaffolding requirements, and the program does the rest. It calculates material demand, including weight and price, for a facade scaffold using the SpeedyScaf system (the UK version will use Layher's Allround scaffolding system). It also provides a detailed plan of how to erect the scaffold.
Jochen Weiss, a developer in Layher's technical department at its headquarters in Güglingen-Eibensbach near Stuttgart in Germany, who also designed the digital rectifier and scaffold planner, claims the system is unique. "There is other software available that can calculate scaffolding, but it is expensive and difficult to use. We wanted to develop something that was quick, easy and cheap," he says.
Simple to use
"Most scaffolding problems are simple to solve, but the software used to solve them is complicated and expensive," adds Weiss. "It can require a lot of training, even a specially trained dedicated member of staff to operate it and a huge and complex training manual.
"This program doesn't calculate the scaffolding for the whole building and so doesn't need to load in all the 3D requirements that other programs include. It isn't as complex or detailed as those programs, but it is very quick and easy to use and doesn't require a lot of training," he explains. "It is also possible to calculate scaffolding for all four facades of a building, although you have to calculate each side in separately."
Training included
Sean Pike, sales and marketing manager for Layher in the UK, says that although the program is simple to use, Layher does provide training for users. "When we install the program on the user's computer we spend about half a day going through how it works with them. We also provide a basic training manual and an email helpline, which is reviewed daily, for any further queries," he adds.
The program is written in accordance with building and health and safety regulations, so using it should be covered by your insurance policy. Layher will issue updates when appropriate.
Source
Construction Manager