Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02452811 2003-12-09
MULTIFUNCTION PRODUCTION LINE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
MANUFACTURED HOUSES
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of manufactured
houses in a
factory utilizing a multifunction production line and, in particular, to a
method for the manufacture
of manufactured houses in a factory which involves providing at least one
rnulti-function
subassembly production line in the factory where housing components of
significantly different
sizes, designs and/or customizations can be prepared required for later
installation in the
manufactured house.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The manufacturing of completed or partially completed houses (both of which
are referred
to herein as "manufactured houses") within a factory for subsequent transport
to the installation
location of the manufactured house, for example in a subdivision, is well-
known. When compared
to outdoor stick building, manufacturing houses within a factory provides
numerous advantages,
including the improved ability to work at all hours of the day and without
concern for weather, and
providing greater worker safety and comfort and improved efficiency in use of
material, energy and
equipment.
The prior art provides two distinct methods for manufacturing houses within a
factory and
includes those which utilize an assembly Iine on which the manufactured house
is constructed and
those which utilize a stick building approach wherein the manufactured house
is manufactured or
constructed within the factory in a fashion substantially similar to that used
in traditional outdoor
stick building. The assembly line method depends for its success on several
factors, including a
precisely ordered sequence of actions or steps, same of which actions or steps
require the precise and
timely supply of material and/or skilled labour to a particular point in the
assembly line, and also
including the production of large numbers of manufactured houses having a
significant number of
common components, structures or elements. Disadvantageously, however, a
failure of a precise and
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timely supply of material and/or skilled labour to a particular point in the
assembly line may have
a significant negative effect on production potentially resulting in a
significant bottleneck in
production until the failure has been remedied. Furthermore, the requirement
that the factory produce
a significant number of identical or substantially identical or common
components, structures or
elements, such as, for example, from subassembly lines, significantly
undermines the ability of the
factory to produce, in sequence and/or economically, manufactured houses of
significantly different
sizes, designs and/or customizations.
The indoor stick building approach of the prior art is typically more
flexible, in that
customizations and variations to housing components can be effected when
required before
placement of the component in the manufactured house, but this approach does
not benefit from the
efficiency gains that may be available using the assembly line approach
referenced above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present iamention is to provide an improved method for
assembling a
manufactured house in a factory for Iater transportation and installation of
the manufactured house
to a foundation site, and particularly an improved method for assembling a
manufactured house in
a factory which involves providing at least one mufti-function subassembly
production location or
at least one subassembly production line which can be adapted to produce
housing components of
significantly different sizes, designs and/or customizations, as required, for
later installation in the
manufactured house.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved
method for
assembling a manufactured house in a factory , which is efficient and reliable
and which possesses
sufficient flexibility to manufacture homes of significantly different sizes,
designs andlor
customizations.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention relates to a method for
manufacturing a
completed or substantially completed manufactured house within a factory,
comprising the steps of
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receiving house building materials at the factory; converting at least some of
the house building
materials into factorymanufactured building components at a mufti-function
subassemblyproduction
line or area; delivering at least one of the factory manufactured building
components from the multi-
function subassembly production line or area to a product finishing area
within the factory; and
utilizing and installing at least one of the factory manufactured building
components in the
manufactured house being constructed in the product finishing area of the
factory.
Accordingly, a further aspect of the present invention relates to a method for
assembling at
least one manufactured house in a factory for later transportation and
installation of the manufactured
house to a foundation site, comprising the steps ofreceiving house building
materials at the factory;
providing at least one mufti-function subassembly production line or area;
transferring the house
building materials to the at least one mufti-function subassembly production
line or area;
constructing a t 1 east s ome o f t he h Ouse b uilding ~n aterials i nto
factory m anufactured building
components at the mufti-function subassembly production line or area for later
installation in the at
least one manufactured house, the at least one mufti-function subassembly
production line or area
being adaptable to construct factory manufactured building components of
significantly different
sizes, designs and customizations; transporting the constructed factory
manufactured building
components to the at least one manufactured house; and installing the factory
manufactured building
components constructed at the at least one mufti-function subassembly
production line or area in the
at least one manufactured house.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
method for
assembling at least one manufactured house in a factory for later
transportation and installation of
a completed or substantially completed manufactured house to a foundation
site, comprising the
steps of receiving house building materials at the factory; providing at least
one mufti-function
subassembly production line or area where the house building materials can be
received for later
installation in the at least one manufactured house; transferring at least
some of the house building
materials to the at least one mufti-function subassemblyproduction line or
area; constructing at least
some of the house building materials into factory manufactured building
components at the multi-
function subassembly production line or area for later installation in the at
least one manufactured
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house, t he a t 1 east o ne m ulti-function s ubassembly p roduction 1 ine or
a rea b eing a daptable t o
construct factory manufactured building components of significantly different
sizes, designs and
customizations; transporting the constructed factory manufactured building
components to the at
least one manufactured house; installing the significantly different factory
manufactured building
components constructed at the at least one mufti-function subassembly
production line or area in the
at least one manufactured house so as to form the completed or substantially
completed
manufactured house; and transporting the completed or substantially completed
manufactured house
to the foundation site for installation.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a method for
assembling at least one manufactured house at a factory for later
transportation to and installation
at a remote foundation site utilizing a transporter, the at least one
manufactured house including
factory manufactured building components which are each installed separately
therein to form a
completed or substantially completed manufactured house, the method comprising
the steps of
receiving house building materials at the factory; providing at least one
mufti-function subassembly
production line or area where the house building materials can be received for
later installation in
the at least one manufactured house; supporting the at least one manufactured
house at a product
finishing area within the factory; transfernng at least some of the house
building materials to the at
least one mufti-function subassembly production line or area; constructing at
least some of the house
building materials into the factory manufactured building components at the
mufti-function
subassembly production line or area for later installation in the ai: least
one manufactured house, the
at least one mufti-function subassembly production line or area being
adaptable to construct factory
manufactured building components of significantly different sizes, designs and
customizations;
transporting the constructed factory manufactured building components from the
at least one multi-
function subassembly production line or area to the product finishing area;
installing the
significantly different factory manufactured building components constructed
at the at least one
mufti-function subassembly production line or area in the at least one
manufactured house so as to
form the completed or substantially completed manufactured house; and
utilizing the transporter to
transport the completed or substantially completed manufactured house from the
product finishing
area to the foundation site for installation.
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Another aspect of the present invention provides for a method for assembling
at least one
manufactured house at a factory for later transportation to and installation
at a remote foundation site
utilizing a transporter, the at least one manufactured house including factory
manufactured building
components which are each installed separately therein to form a completed or
substantially
completed manufactured house, the method comprising the steps of receiving
house building
materials at the factory; providing at least one mufti-function subassembly
production line or area
where the house building materials can be received for later installation in
the manufactured house;
supporting the at least one manufactured house at a product finishing area
within the factory;
transfernng at least some of the house building materials to the at least one
mufti-function
subassembly production line or axes; constructing at least some of the house
building materials into
the factory manufactured building components at the mufti-function subassembly
production line
or area for later installation in the at least one manufactured house, the at
least one mufti-function
subassembly production line or area being adaptable to construct factory
manufactured building
components of significantly different sizes, designs and customizations,
whereby each manufactured
house, as manufactured in succession, can have significantly different sizes,
designs and
customizations from other manufactured houses produced within the factory;
transporting the
constructed factory manufactured building components from the at least one
mufti-function
subassembly production line or area to the product finishing area; unloading
the constructed factory
manufactured building components c onstructed at the at least one mufti-
function subassembly
production line or area at the product finishing area; installing the
constructed factory manufactured
building components in the at least one manufactured house to form the
completed or substantially
completed manufactured house; moving the completed or substantially completed
manufactured
house from the product finishing area to the transporter; and utilizing the
transporter to transport the
completed or substantially completed manufactured house from the product
finishing area to the
foundation site for installation.
The advantage of the present invention is that it provides a responsive and
flexible
method for the timely delivery of building materials and factory manufactured
building
components (such as, for example, doors, walls, roofs, trusses, gables or
factory manufactured
parts or components of any of these components), in a precisely ordered
sequence, with a high
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degree of quality control and material standardization and pre-preparation, to
a manufactured
house during its manufacture within a factory.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that, because the various
configurations,
designs and/or customizations of factory manufactured building components can
he prepared for
the manufactured house occurs at a multifunction subassembly production area
or line in the
factory, the manufactured housing components then being later installed so as
to form a
completed or substantially completed manufactured house, there is a reduction
in the number of
workers required in the interior of, or in close proximity to, the house being
constructed at any
one time, thus reducing interference between the trades and material being
used to construct the
manufactured house and thereby increasing the efficiency of manufacturing such
a house in a
factory environment, providing greater simplicity and cost efficiency to the
manufacturing
process.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that it allows for an
improved method
of assembling a manufactured house iil a factory which is efficient and
reliable, and which
possesses sufficient flexibility to manufacture homes of significantly
different sizes, designs
and/or customizations from one another, which can then be transported to the
installation site.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with
reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a graphical representation of a factory, the factory being shown
adjacent to the
subdivision being built;
Figure 2 is a graphical representation of the same factory which has
implemented therein
an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 is an illustration of an embodiment of the present invention, showing
the
direction of work flow from the storage areas to the multifunction subassembly
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production line on to the fabrication area; and
Figure 4 is an illustration of a further embodiment of thf; present invention,
showing the
direction of work flow from the storage areas to the multifunction subassembly
production line on to the fabrication area.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIIdIENT
With reference to Figure I, in the preferred embodiment, a house manufacturing
factory 1
is established within, or in close proximity to a subdivision 2 which is being
built. The proximity
of the factory I to the subdivision 2 beneficially allows for the manufacture
of complete or
substantially complete manufactured houses within a factory 1 and for the
subsequent delivery of
the manufactured house to the subdivision 2, with reduced or entirely
eliminated likelihood of
interference during the delivery of the manufactured house from the factory I
to its foundation in
the subdivision 2 as a result of bridges, wires, narrow roads or other
impediments and with
reduced or entirely eliminated need to utilize public access roads and
highways (that is, roads and
highways to which the public generally has access) during such transport of
the manufactured
house.
With reference to Figure 2, in the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, building
material ordered from suppliers is received at the factory I, typically from a
truck (not shown), on
a "j ust-in-time" basis, or alternatively "in advance", for on-site storage or
stockpiling (the expression
"building material" or "building materials" is to be construed b.erein in the
widest sense and may
include a 11 s uch i terns a s m ay b a r equired for the c ompletio:n o f' a
c ompleted o r s ubstantially
completed manufactured house, including raw construction materials, processed
materials,
prefabricated components and/or such other material as would be understood by
a person skilled in
the art to be required for the construction of a house or like structure).
After the building material has been received, in the event that such building
material is not
required for immediate use, the building material is sent for storage in
indoor storage areas 3, 5, as
illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, or at a site located conveniently proximate to
the factory I .
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When required, the building material may be transferred from the material
storage areas 3,5
either directly to the manufactured house being constructed in the fabrication
area 7, or alternatively,
if the building is going to be pre-processed in the factory to form part of a
factory manufactured
building component, it is transferred from the material storage areas 3 and 5
to the multifunction
subassembly production line or area 11, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, where it
can be further
constructed and prepared and subsequently installed as part o:f a factory
manufactured building
component into the manufactured house being constructed in the fabrication
area 7.
As illustrated in Figure 2, for example, a triangular truss jig for the
manufacture of factory
manufactured trusses may be brought from a jig storage area, w'.hich, in the
preferred embodiment,
is positioned proximate to storage area 3, to the mufti-function subassembly
production line or area
11 (at location 10, for example), where it then may be used for the
construction of one or more
trusses, the one or more trusses being constructed utilizing the mufti-
function subassembly
production line or area (in the case of the utilization of a mufti-functioned
subassembly production
area, the truss being manufactured as it proceeds from position to position
along the mufti-functioned
subassembly production line, or in the case of the utilization of a mufti-
functioned subassembly
production area, t he t toss b eing m anufactured w ithin t he s ubassembly p
roduction a tea). I t i s
understood that the use of a jig in the context of constructing a truss or
other component is optional,
and that the construction of the component on a mufti-function subassembly
production line or area
in some circumstances maybe optimally constructed utilizing a jig, and in
other circumstances, may
be optimally constructed without utilization of a jig.
When a truss has been completed, it may subsequently be placed in storage for
subsequent
utilization, or may be incorporated directly into a manufactured house being
manufactured in the
fabrication area 7, or maybe subsequently incorporated into a roof, which roof
may subsequently be
incorporated into a manufactured house being manufactured in the fabrication
area 7. Once the truss
has been completed, the truss jig may be returned to storage, or may be
immediately re-utilized for
the purposes of constructing additional trusses.
Similarly, entire floors, or sections of floors, or walls, or wall sections
(or other factory
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manufactured building components), may be constructed on the mufti-function
subassembly
production line or area. Jigs rnay also optionally be utilized in the
manufacture of these factory
manufactured building components.
It is understood that the mufti-function subassembly production line or area
may be an area
in which a subassembly of a manufactured house or other factory manufactured
building components
may be constructed, the subassembly area being either stationary or
incorporating therein a multi-
function subassembly production line.
It is also understood that the mufti-function subassembly production line or
area may
simultaneously or sequentially be used for the manufacture of various
different factory manufactured
building components. By way of example only, it is conceivable that the mufti-
function subassembly
production line or area would be used for floors (or components of floor
sections), and
simultaneously or immediately thereafter for walls (or components of wall
sections), and
simultaneously or immediately thereafter for trusses (or for components of a
roof section), it being
understood that the mufti-function subassembly production line or area may be
utilized for the
construction of a wide variety of combinations of factory manufactured
building components in
various different sequences, according to, amongst other things, the specific
fabrication needs of the
factory, and the available supply of building materials and labor. In this
manner, the mufti-function
subassembly production line or area 11 can be used to flexibly manufacture
homes of significantly
different sizes, designs and/or customizations within the factory, the mufti-
function subassembly
production line or area 11 of the present invention, being adaptable to
produce factory manufactured
building c omponents o f s ignificantly d ifferent s izes, d esigns and/or c
ustomizations, o n an " as
required basis" or for a pre-utilization storage at or near the factory.
In Figure 2, the completed or substantially completed factory manufactured
building
component is transported to the manufactured house 4 and is illustrated, by
way of example, as a
prefabricated wall panel 1 S, which is placed on a transporter or forklift 13
for delivery to the
manufactured house 4 in the fabrication area 7. alternatively, the completed,
or substantially
completed, factory manufactured building components 9 may be removed, upon
completion or
substantial completion, from the mufti-function subassembly production line or
area 11 for storage
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in storage areas 3, 5 for later delivery to the fabrication area 7 as
required.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention,, the mufti-function
subassembly
production line or area 11 can be adapted to produce a wide assortment of
factory manufactured
building components 9 of significantly different, sizes, designs and/or
customizations, as required,
for later installation in the manufactured house 4. For example, the mufti-
function subassembly
production line or area 11 may, when required, be used to firstly produce, for
example, prefabricated
floor panels which are then transported via transporter or forklift 13 for
delivery and installation to
the manufactured house 4. Next, the mufti-function subassemblyproduction line
or area 11 may then
be used to manufacture an entirely different factorymanufactured building
component, for example,
wall components, which are to be installed in the manufactured house 4. Next,
the mufti-function
subassembly production line or area 11 may then be used to build roof trusses
for use and installation
in the manufactured house, and so forth.
In an alternative embodiment, a plurality of mufti-function subassembly
production lines or
areas, each of which are adaptable to produce factory manufactured building
components 9 of
significantly different sizes, designs and/or customizations, can be provided
in the factory,
particularly when there are several building sites within fabrication area 7
of the factory 1 where
manufactured houses 4 are being constructed at any one time. For example,
Figure 2 illustrates two
separate manufactured houses 4 being built within the fabrication area 7,
though it is conceivable
that more manufactured houses than this may be produced in a factory 1, at any
one time. In such
an embodiment, it is conceivable that each manufactured house ~G being
constructed will each utilize
its own respective mufti-function subassembly production line; or area 1 l,
which mufti-function
subassembly production line or area 11 will produce and deliver factory
manufactured building
components 9 of significantly different sizes, designs and/or customizations
as required, and which
are particularly required to comply with the specific specifications and
individual design of the
respective house being constructed.
In another embodiment, factory manufactured building components for a
particular
manufactured house being manufactured may be constructed on more than one
mufti-function
subassembly production line or area 11.
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As referred to above, in the preferred embodiment, once 'the factory
manufactured building
components 9 have been completed, or substantially completed, the factory
manufactured building
components 9 may be placed on a transporter or forklift 13 for delivery to the
fabrication area 7 or
to storage for subsequent utilization. It is understood that a transporter or
forklift 13 may take one
of many different configurations including one or more carts, wagons,
trailers, or other suitable
transport devices known to persons skilled in the art, provided that they are
suitably adapted for
transporting the finished or substantially completed factory manufactured
building components 9
from the mufti-function subassembly production Iine or area 11 to the
fabrication area 7, and is
generally capable of efficiently handling and transporting the factory
manufactured building
components to its destination, it being understood that the transporter or
forklift 13 may be self
propelled or may be propelled by some other means, for example a truck or
tractor or similar device
or (where available) an overhead crane. In an alternative embodiment, where
appropriate, two or
more transporters or forklifts 13 , may be linked together for improved
efficiency of delivery of
1 S factory manufactured building components to the fabrication area 7.
Jigs which have been utilized in the manufacturing of factory manufactured
building
components, may be returned to storage for future re-use, or may be
repositioned on the multi-
function subassembly production line or area for immediate re-use, where
appropriate.
It is also understood that the mufti-function subassembly production line or
area may include
an area in which factory manufactured building components are assembled or
produced,
independently of a production line, for example, when building materials are
pre-fabricated within
the factory to form factory manufactured building components and thereafter
transferred to storage
for subsequent utilization, or immediately to the fabrication area for
assembly into a manufactured
house being assembled there.
While it is understood that all or substantially all of the said final
preparation of the factory
manufactured building components 9 will have already occurred when the factory
manufactured
building components 9 were pre-prepared while in the mufti-function
subassembly production line
or area 11, once the factory manufactured building components R arrive at the
fabrication area 7,
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further preparation of the factory manufactured building components may be
necessary, such as, for
example, specific modifications to the factory manufactured building
components may be required
which were not contemplated when the factory manufactured building components
9 were at the
mufti-function subassembly production line or area 1 I, or any other necessary
on-site adjustments
or alterations to the factory manufactured building components during the
installation process. It is
understood that in the fabrication area 7, the factory manufactured building
components 9 may be
incorporated into the house being constructed thereon. It is understood that
factory manufactured
building components which may be built on a mufti-function subassembly
production line or area
include, for example, floors, walls, roofs, trusses, gables, cabinets,
cupboards, partitions, or parts of
any of these components.
It is also understood that the factory 1 may contain mare than one building
site within
fabrication area 7 where m anufactured houses 4 are being constructed (for
example, Figure 2
illustrates two separate manufactured houses 4 being built within the
fabrication area 7), it being
understood that in other embodiments the factory may contain only one building
site within a
fabrication area 7, while in other embodiments more than two building sites
may be utilized or the
fabrication area 7 may be remote from the factory I, for example in a second
factory, or, where
appropriate, within a temporary structure, or outdoors.
A manufactured house which is completed or substantially completed using the
method
described herein may then be moved from the factory to the subdivision for
installation on footings
or a foundation located therein.
In an alternative embodiment, a significant segment, section or portion of a
manufactured
house can be constructed in a factory utilizing the method of t:he present
invention, in which the
significant segment, section or portion of the manufactured house can
thereafter be combined with
one or more other similarly constructed significant segments, sections or
portions of a manufactured
house at the installation location to form a complete or substantially
complete manufactured house,
the segments, sections orportions each representing a significant volumetric
aspect ofthe completed
house, and typically greater than I O% of the volume of the completed house.
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It is also understood that the method of the present invention may be utilized
to construct
10
20
30
dwellings in various formats, including, but not limited to, high-rise and low-
rise apartments,
duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, row houses, semi-detached houses and singles,
and may be utilized
in the construction of office, retail and other commercial buildings.
The present invention has been described herein with regard to preferred
embodiments.
However, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of
variations and
modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as
described herein.
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