Plumbing & Mechanical magazine’s recent article about collaboration with 3D technology included an example of U.S. Engineering’s work during the Mercy Hospital Joplin project. U.S. Engineering used 3D field layout tools to assist with the execution of the project.

An excerpt from the article (read the full article here):

Using 3D models, U.S. Engineering completed the design of the mechanical and plumbing systems, and located in excess of 78,000 points for sleeves, embeds, floor penetrations, drains and hanger supports. The points located on the first and second floors of the hospital main building exceeded 38,000 points. The third floor, which is common to both towers, had roughly 10,000 points. The six-story patient tower added another 22,000 points and the three-story clinic tower another 8,000 points.

U.S. Engineering also used the Trimble Point Creator for CAD and Revit and Trimble Field Link for MEP connection to verify as-constructed conditions with the architectural floor plan.

Jeff Kiblen was U.S. Engineering’s project manager of fabrication and 3D coordination oversight for the mechanical and plumbing systems on the project. “Any inaccuracy, especially with sleeve layouts in walls for plumbing, would have created significant fit problems,” he says. “We needed to be within 1/4 in. or 1/2 in. because of the density of ceiling spaces and tight coordination with all the other systems. Thus far, we’ve realized incredible accuracy thanks to our 3D model-to-field workflow.”

Jeff Kiblen is Integrated Technology Manager for U.S. Engineering.