From TechCrunch · Sean O'Kane · · 2m
Robot tackles pipefitting's hardest, most dangerous work
Nexterity's remote-controlled robot automates bolt-tightening on pipes, addressing worker injuries and a chronic labor shortage in North American pipefitting.
In brief
Nexterity's remote-controlled robot automates bolt-tightening on pipes, addressing worker injuries and a chronic labor shortage in North American pipefitting. Nexterity has built a remote-controlled robot to automate the dangerous, physically demanding work of loosening and tightening bolts on pipes, targeting a…
The problem with bolts
Lindsey Elliott, a former ExxonMobil engineer, identified bolted flange joints connecting pipe sections as a major source of pipefitter injuries. The work is physically demanding and contributes to a chronic labor shortage in the trade.
“Those people get really tired when they're asked to work twelve hours a day for three months in a row.”
Productivity crisis in North America
Elliott has spoken with pipefitters across the U.S. and Canada and found that North American pipefitting productivity is notoriously low. Workers face exhaustion from grueling schedules and repetitive physical labor.
“North American pipefitting productivity is notoriously low.”
Nexterity's robot solution
Elliott founded Nexterity to build a remote-controlled robot that loosens and tightens bolts on pipes. The robot is battery-powered, fits in a Pelican case, and can handle four bolts at a time.
Designed for standard pipe sizes
Nexterity developed multiple robot configurations to fit different standard pipe sizes. Elliott learned from the Pressure Vessels and Piping Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers that eighty percent of pipes are between two to eight inches in diameter, or NPS2 to NPS8.
“eighty percent of our pipes are between two to eight inches in diameter, or what they call NPS2 to NPS8.”
Rental model for deployment
Because the robots are small enough for a single worker to carry, Nexterity plans to treat them like rental construction equipment. This flexibility allows the company to deploy robots to new sites quickly and efficiently.
A massive hidden market
Elliott believes the market for pipe automation is far larger than most people realize. Water, wastewater, water treatment, food and beverage, mining, nuclear, and green manufacturing facilities all use the same kind of piping infrastructure.
“I think it would shock a lot of people just how big this market is.”
Nexterity selected for Disrupt
Nexterity is one of the Startup Battlefield two hundred companies selected to participate in TechCrunch Disrupt. The startup's robot could fundamentally change blue-collar pipefitting work if widely adopted.
The big picture
Nexterity has built a remote-controlled robot to automate the dangerous, physically demanding work of loosening and tightening bolts on pipes, targeting a market Elliott says is much larger than most people realize.
