Digitally Manufactured Cold-Formed Steel Studs & PreFab Wall Panels
Integrating digital manufacturing for labeled steel studs & prefab wall panels.
Project Overview
Updated March 6, 2025.
The Problem
On-site installation of cold-formed steel studs and wall panels require delivery of standard-length steel studs and individually cutting and installing them for interior walls based on site conditions. In the same way, the method for building exterior steel stud walls is installed piece by piece from scaffolds or boom lifts.
While these methods are inefficient, time consuming and tie up skilled labour; they are the dominate process on many construction sites.
How We Are Solving It
Led by Wesgroup, in collaboration with Velgor Construction, this project will aim to integrate digital manufacturing technologies to produce labeled precut steel studs and prefabricated wall panels in British Columbia.
Integrating digital manufacturing technologies, including BIM and automated roll-forming machines, will be used to produce precut steel studs and prefabricated wall panels. This will help increase local cold-formed steel stud production and reduce reliance of current supply chain constraints, as well as reducing waste and onsite installation time with predetermined dimensions. The time spent on site measuring and cutting individual steel studs, cleaning up cutoff waste debris, leads to loss of thousands of hours of production time for one concrete tower project.
Coupled with BIM modeling and accurate site floor plate layouts, this project will aim to increase efficiencies in installation time and a reduce cutoff waste; leading to overall housing being delivered quicker and allow for skilled labour to move on to their next construction project.
