Overview
The FieldPrinter lays out fastest when it has a clear, open floor and an unbroken line of sight between the laser tracker and the robot. That depends on more than your Dusty crew — it depends on the other trades, the superintendent, and where the project is in its schedule.
This guide explains how to coordinate your site and other project teams so the FieldPrinter can print a complete layout without stopping and starting. Use it when planning when to bring the robot to a floor, briefing other trades, or figuring out why prints are running slower than expected. It covers who to communicate with, the best time to print, and the site conditions the FieldPrinter can and can't work around.
Why coordination matters
The laser tracker guides the FieldPrinter by keeping a laser beam locked onto the reflector as the robot drives. Anything that breaks that line of sight — a worker walking through, a stack of material, a shoring post, a riser — forces the robot to pause and re-acquire before it can keep printing. A floor full of obstructions and foot traffic turns one continuous print into dozens of short, interrupted ones, which sharply reduces how much you can lay out in a day.
The goal of coordination is simple: give the FieldPrinter an open floor and clear sightlines for the window it's on site.
Communicate the deployment schedule
Notify the other trades of the FieldPrinter's deployment schedule before the robot arrives, so they can plan around it. Heavy foot traffic, or active construction labor in the print area, significantly reduces productivity.
Practical steps that help:
- Tell the superintendent and affected trades which floor or area the FieldPrinter will be on, and when.
- Ask that the print area be cleared of equipment, material, and crews for the print window.
- Name a single point of contact on the project who can confirm the area will be ready and reroute other work if plans change.
⚠️ Sites that are well coordinated — where the printing area is completely free of equipment, material, and personnel — consistently see the fastest, most complete prints. Sites where other trades weren't told the robot was coming tend to lose time to interruptions and rework.
Print at the optimal time
For the most productive and complete print job, print before risers are installed, or wait until temporary shoring is removed.
⚠️ For the highest productivity, mobilize the FieldPrinter as early as possible — ideally just after the slab is poured and before any obstructions like temporary shoring, plumbing stub-ups, or risers are installed. Printing after these installations is possible, but it significantly reduces efficiency because of frequent interruptions between the laser tracker beam and the FieldPrinter.
The earlier the FieldPrinter gets on a freshly poured, open slab, the more it can lay out in one pass — which is also why layout from a single coordinated source benefits every trade that follows.
Site conditions the FieldPrinter can and can't work around
Not every obstruction stops the FieldPrinter. Some it can navigate around; others make a floor unworkable until they're cleared. Use this as a planning guide when deciding whether a floor is ready.
| The FieldPrinter can work around | The FieldPrinter cannot work in |
|---|---|
| Open flooring | Full reshores |
| Spaces with stubs and sleeves | Scaffolding |
| Light reshores | Material-covered floors |
| Loose cabling and extension cords |
Even where the FieldPrinter can work around obstructions like stub-ups and light reshores, expect some loss of speed — the robot still has to route around them and may briefly lose line of sight. A fully open floor is always the most productive.
🔍 For the full set of surface, environmental, and safety requirements, see the site readiness resources in Related Articles.
Coordinate before the crew arrives
A short amount of planning before mobilization prevents most on-site delays:
- Confirm the target floor will be poured, accessible, and clear by the print date.
- Confirm control points will be surveyed, marked, and not blocked by material or other trades' work.
- Confirm the print area will be broom-swept and free of standing water.
- Line up power, storage, and site access for the equipment.
When these are settled in advance and the other trades know the schedule, the FieldPrinter crew can walk onto an open floor and start printing.