Automated Tile Machines
- Thread starter TAC
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You don't say what kind of tile, Vct or ceramic? But an installer has to think on his feet with whatever may come up. I don't think it would be to feasible but who knows, might as well put more humans out of work and business.
Daris
Daris
I don't think a machine could adjust for conditions as well as a human.
Maybe in a few more generations of robotic technology this may be feasible. At the current labor rate I sure as hell don't see General Dynamics, United Technologies, MIT and Cal Tech devoting the investment needed to displace...........CHEAP labor with extremely complex, sensitive and expensive equipment.
The answer to your original question is no.
Emphatically no, because it's not a question of IF it can be done but WHY would you do it and that means what are the economics of that proposition.
NO.
On second thought these TOP engineering schools have notorious engineering competitions within and amongst themselves. In that context they do get access to these university resources.......kind of on a blank check basis to play around and research. In one very cool example of this game they make robots to FIGHT each other one on one. I could envision some context like this given FREE research and development costs where those........the smartest kids on EARTH, let's face it........could make a prototype of this machine you imagine.
Yeah, it's probably already POSSIBLE, but not feasible economically because of how cheap human labor is in the flooring industry.
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I doubt that a machine could handle the constant adjustment needed on VCT unless the floor was perfect, and in 40 years I have yet to see a perfect floor. And adjusting for lippage on a tile floor as inconsistent as ceramic thickness is would be worse.
An like Incognito says, there would be no savings, labor is too cheap already.
An like Incognito says, there would be no savings, labor is too cheap already.
There would need to be a 100% improvement in product quality first. Most flooring products are very poor quality.
i heard Spacely Space Sprockets was working on a flooring installer droid but during beta testing it developed a drinking problem and a limp
Is tile width a big problem also????
Can be, on the cheap stuff.
DennisT
Well-Known Member
There's a machine they're working on (I've seen videos of prototypes in action) that will stucco a wall. I view that as a little more difficult than laying tile. At least with the tile you don't have gravity fighting you. And yeah, the job it was doing would not replace a skilled tradesman, but it could do a lion's share of the wall with the pro doing the touch up to make it seamless.
Who preps the floor? Who snaps the lines? Who spreads the glue? Can the machine unload the truck?
Someone has to deliver the machine, set it up, point it in the right direction-------program it. I assume there has to be a human involved to supervise at some point but certainly to stop the machine and haul it back to the store/shop/garage.
So THAT person basically has to be there all day.......(every day?)
Doesn't make sense for a store or their subcontractors. Maybe a general contractor who already had to be on site with employees and other subs could in theory use the machine to displace the tile setters. But can the machine layout, open cartons, mix thin set and make the cuts?
You do know that slapping in the full tiles is the fastest and easiest part of the installation, right? Man, it would sure SUCK to have the machine do that and you still get stuck with all the dirty work.
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