Constraint to capability: a multi-robot screw-press gluing micro-factory for scalable and efficient multi-story timber slab assembly

Abstract We present the co-development and integration of a fully automated, multi-robot screw-press gluing cyber-physical production system for the prefabrication of a Multi-Story Timber Building System (MSTBS). The system integrates Hardware Setup, Task Planning, and Control Communication, ensuring compliance with the strict requirements for adhesive time. Two containerized robots collaborate in a shared workspace to execute glue application, component placement, and torque-controlled pressing. Precomputed kinematic reachability informs placement and setup co-optimization, followed by motion planning and hierarchical scheduling. A level-based barrier protocol enables safe, asynchronous execution with supervisory traceability and logging for quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC). A full-scale physical prototype validates the feasibility and traceability of this system, demonstrating a scalable and efficient pathway for industrially viable large-format timber slab prefabrication.