Sustainability in MEP Fabrication

Sustainability is about making the most efficient use of materials, which is both good for the planet and good for business. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing fabrication employs a range of materials, including copper, aluminum, and steel, which are energy-intensive to produce and often expensive to buy.  Inefficient use of stock can result in large drops that are often wasted, while poor workflows can result in mis-cuts and accidental re-cuts, all of which increase a project’s costs and carbon footprint. A recent Deloitte study cites a 40% increase in construction inputs in the last four years, placing a heightened importance on reducing material waste to maintain profitability. 

Reduced Material Waste Goes Hand-In-Hand with Reduced Labor Costs

Fabrication workflows that minimize waste also tend to be efficient with labor. More sustainable workflows characteristically involve:

• digital communication between VDC, fabrication, and installation, with little or no dependence on paper except as backup documentation
• cloud-based data transmission requiring only an internet connection
• software that optimizes the nesting and cutting process for speed and to minimize material waste
• part labeling with QR codes so all the information needed for fabrication travels with the part itself
• labeling of drops so they can be easily re-used, and
• real-time assembly tracking ensuring that parts move smoothly between fabrication stages, shipping, and on site.

It’s also true that prefabrication tends to be inherently more efficient than fabrication in the field. Not only is work done faster and more safely out of the weather and within the controlled environment of a fab shop, it’s more controllable and can take greater advantage of workflow software and automated fabrication machinery. 

Let’s Get Specific

The MEP fabrication industry talks a lot about adopting a Model-to-Fabrication workflow, which PypeServer defines as fabricating directly from the CAD and BIM model as much as possible.  PypeServer’s purpose-built fabrication suite executes this by:

• making it easy to select a wide variety of parts and assemblies in the model to fabricate
• adding fabrication-specific optimizations like rounding hanger rod lengths up
• sending the parts and assemblies to the Cloud (or a local file) with all necessary data
• connecting manual and automated tools to the Cloud to retrieve cut lists
• nesting the parts and printing labels as they’re cut
• updating the cloud with cut status
• facilitating downstream bending, welding, and/or assembly in the shop and field

Material savings is mostly driven by efficient nesting, which is the process of virtually fitting as many parts as possible on a piece of stock prior to cutting. PypeServer’s advanced nesting algorithms find the optimal cut order to minimize waste by taking into account the exact length of your stock (or previous drop), kerf, trim cuts, cutter and clamp clearance distances, and even material defects to squeeze as many parts as possible out of your valuable materials. As shown in the PypeServer Lyte software screenshot below, it’s routinely possible to achieve material utilization rates of 98%+, which is equivalent to just a few inches of lost material per 20 foot stick.

With relatively narrow stock like hanger rod or conduit, it’s often possible to bundle and cut more than one piece of stock at a time to save both materials and time. Bundled nesting is especially helpful when your cut list contains many parts of the same length, as is often the case with hanger rod. PypeServer Lyte goes well beyond cutting whatever bundle size you give it, it can actually analyze your cut list and recommend the optimal bundling scheme, including automatically changing the bundle size as you work through the cut list.

Compared to manual nesting, PypeServer’s computerized nesting algorithms are faster and more efficient, especially as your cut lists get larger. These powerful nesting capabilities typically save PypeServer’s customers at least 5% in materials compared to manual nesting, resulting in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly fabrication process that pays for itself quickly.

For example, a 20′ stick of 2″ Type L hard copper costs about $400, or $20/foot. Five percent of four sticks is four feet, which is $80 in material savings. PypeServer Lyte for manual tools, including our BIM/CAD plugins and Cloud service, costs less than $75 per month. This means it only takes four sticks cut per month for Lyte to pay for itself in material savings. Any material savings from higher cut volumes plus the labor savings and other efficiencies it offers go right to the bottom line to enhance your profitability.

Case Studies and Success Stories

A real-world example of improving material efficiency can be found in Therma, LLC’s implementation of an automated prefabrication workflow using multiple manual and automated tools in combination with PypeServer.  Therma’s first step was to bring an automated workflow to their copper plumbing fabrication process. There was no computer at their manual roll cutting station so as proof of principle, they utilized PypeServer Lyte on an office computer to generate optimally-nested paper cut lists along with pre-printed labels. The cut lists and labels were brought to the station and used to guide the cutting process. 

Despite the rudimentary implementation, the result was an immediate savings of 20% on labor and 5% in materials. After this proof of principle, Therma installed tablets running PypeServer Lyte at both their copper station and a portaband-based hanger prefab station in the same shop. That further increased efficiency so shortly thereafter, they rolled Lyte out to an additional five manual and automated stations in two different shops and standardized workflows so their fabricators and VDC teams expect the same process on every job.  PypeServer and Therma were excited to showcase their model-to-fabrication workflow in a joint presentation at MEP Innovation 2024. 

Conclusion

Minimizing material waste in MEP fabrication increases sustainability and immediately increases a project’s profitability. PypeServer’s tools for implementing a model-to-fabrication workflow, including advanced nesting algorithms to minimize scrap, are designed and priced to meet the needs of any shop large or small. Critically, there’s no need to invest in expensive automation to realize big savings. However, if your operation has or plans to acquire automated saws, linear positioners, pipe profilers, robotic welders, or large conduit benders, PypeServer can seamlessly tie them all into your workflow.