Selection of Robot for Contour Crafting Using Analytical Hierarchy Process

The use of robotic equipment and a new technique called contour crafting allows for the construction of buildings at lower labor and material costs. The selection of the type of robot is an important factor that affects the overall performance of the contour crafting (CC) system. Various robot configurations, such as gantry, cylindrical, and SCARA, may be employed for contour crafting. There are benefits and drawbacks to using different types of robots for various tasks, including cost, work volume, material compatibility, and precision. Identifying a proper robot using the multi-criterion decision-making (MCDM) technique is crucial for successful building automation. This article uses the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method to rank the best robots according to several characteristics. Cartesian robots, cylindrical robots, and SCARA robots were evaluated based on cost, accuracy, work volume, surface finish, type of profile, and speed. The results showed that the gantry-type robot is the most suitable option, while the cylindrical robot is unsuitable for building construction due to lower accuracy.