Ontractors are constantly looking for ways to increase productivity and efficiency on the commercial jobsite, especially when it comes to running conduit for electrical wire through a large structure. While most contractors may be familiar with Building Information Modeling (BIM), what they may not be aware of is that there is now software available that will help them drive efficiencies, save time, and reduce costs by streamlining the design-to-build process. BendWorks, a new software application for Autodesk® Revit® and Revit® MEP, was developed by Greenlee® to address design and workflow inefficiencies in electrical conduit prefabrication, adding more value to contractors who incorporate BIM into their project plans.

In construction, costs can be mitigated by decreasing unplanned changes that result in delays and rework cycles later in the project timeline. Shifting the effort to the front end, in the preliminary design and planning phases, will create more transparency in cost allocation and positively impact productivity and the bottom line. BendWorks facilitates design and fabrication accuracy, tailoring electrical conduit modeling to the exact specifications of Greenlee benders. With the planning, task automation, and bend-ready detailing provided by BendWorks, costly labor and material expenses are minimized upfront, and unforeseen errors can be caught before they are recognized on the jobsite when their rework costs are exponentially higher.

The adoption of BIM is a trend that continues to grow as jobsite regulations become tighter, prefabrication practices become safer and more cost effective, and technological improvements are fine-tuned towards specific industries or trades. In the electrical industry, continued hardware innovations have enabled contractors to become more efficient on jobsites during fabrication and installation. However, contractors utilizing BIM and prefabrication may realize even more savings through comprehensive detailing upfront and coordinated fabrication off the jobsite in a controlled, manufacturing-like environment. Still, BIM and prefabrication present a myriad of additional opportunities to improve productivity and reduce scrap. BendWorks focuses specifically on these needs.

BendWorks addresses three primary challenges with today’s processes. First, BendWorks incorporates electrical trade knowledge into the CAD designer’s fingertips. BendWorks utilizes 3D families of conduit with parameters specific to Greenlee benders. What this means is that BendWorks will only allow designers to create conduit runs that can physically be fabricated on the benders specified for the job. This eliminates the need for communication back and forth from the design team to the fabrication shop; the design-for-fabrication error proofing is handled by the software. Bend radii, minimum back to back distance between bends, tail length, and conduit diameters are some examples of what is built into the design checking of BendWorks.

The second challenge BendWorks addresses is the splitting of conduit runs into segments. A large conduit run must be broken into pieces for fabrication, then assembled onsite during installation, requiring hundreds or thousands of segments to be detailed and joined with couplings. BendWorks executes a series of algorithms that, once a conduit run has been created, will split the run into fabrication-ready segments. The algorithms will optimize where the splits occur, resulting in the minimum number of cuts, and therefore the minimum number of couplings and conduit segments. Each segment is given a unique sequential identification to assist in coordinating onsite installation.

The third challenge BendWorks addresses is the clear communication of design details to the fabrication team. After BendWorks splits conduit runs, it outputs specifications for each segment that must be fabricated, detailing instructions on exactly how to mark, measure, and bend each piece on the selected Greenlee bender. Automatically generated bend data eliminates the fabrication team’s need to do the calculations usually necessary when planning and performing a conduit bend. Furthermore, the use of bend data generated directly from 3D models ensures that fabricated pieces match the design and drastically reduces rework during installation or retroactive remodeling of BIM files to match the as-built specifications.

Ultimately, incorporating software of this kind into the fabrication process reduces what is colloquially termed “the bone pile.” The bone pile is the often unsightly dumping location at fabrication shops that is filled with scrapped bent pieces and cutoffs, likely representing thousands of dollars in material, and even more dollars in labor costs. With optimized conduit splitting and detailed bend data output, BendWorks helps eliminate scrap, rework, and the necessity to keep extra inventory on hand. Leading national contractors estimate that this type of software can reduce scrap by 15%, decrease rework by 25%, and lower inventory by 10%. Furthermore, the ability for a designer to properly detail conduit runs and split into bend-ready segments allows for increased productivity of up to 15%, reducing the “invisible bone pile,” or the often less-noticeable inefficiencies occurring before the actual bending of conduit. Error checking built into the software, specific to Greenlee benders, ensures streamlined workflow from the screens of designers to the machines used for fabrication.

As technology progresses, there are opportunities to increase efficiency in all stages of construction: the planning, design, fabrication, and installation. Software applications like BendWorks help unify some of the disjointed aspects of these processes, directly impacting the bottom line. The merging of design software with fabrication hardware is a development relatively newer to the electrical industry, but one that will gain momentum as its benefits are realized through its increasing applications.

BendWorks is available in its full functionality as a free 30-day trial; simply visit theAutodesk® Exchange Apps, search for “BendWorks,” and download the trial to begin exploring this productivity solution today.