A UK start-up company has secured exclusive distribution rights to the US-made SAM 100 brick laying robot.

Grant van Wyk, a South African national living in Surrey, has set up Future Construct & Automation Ltd, to distribute US building automation equipment in the UK.

“We are at start-up phase and are very excited about the prospects of the products as they are the first of their kind commercially available worldwide,” he said.

The SAM 100 (Semi Automated Mason) is a bricklaying robot for onsite masonry construction, said to be capable of laying 250 to 300 bricks per hour. The machine is made New York-based Construction Robotics.

It does not eliminate the mason but assists with the repetitive and strenuous task of lifting and placing each brick. The mason continues to own the site setup and final wall quality. Case studies are claimed to show savings on time and reduce the effective cost per brick laid while also improving health and safety on the job.

Future Construct & Automation also has the UK distribution rights to a lift balancer called MULE (Material Unit Lift Enhancer), a grab that takes the strain out of lifting blocks weighing up to 60kg.

 

Sourced: www.construction-robotics.com, www.theconstructionindex.co.uk