Mechanical Automatic Rebar Tying Tool

Modern buildings typically use reinforced concrete for construction.

This reinforcement consists in layers of inter-crossed steel bars, tied together with steel wire.

These ties are usually made manually by the construction workers, who need to bend over every time.

As a result of that a lot of workers end up with back pain and become unable to work on these tasks.

The goal was to create an automated solution that would allow the workers to tie the wire without bending their back.

The task was:

• Establish a concept that allows to unwind, tighten and cut the wire in as few steps as possible

• Design a prototype using as much lightweight, yet standard components

• Make it all mechanical; no electrical motors/battery/electronics

Unique solution:

Ergonomics was one of the most important constraints on this product; it needed to be easier to use, more effective and less harmful than the manual method, all at the same time.

So we tried to combine the functions as much as possible; here we had the unwinding, clamping and cutting all on the pedal, and the tying on the wheel.