The Design of a Fireproofing Spray Robot Using Quality Function Deployment

Fireproofing spray work at construction sites is still performed manually, making consistent spray quality difficult to maintain and exposing workers to dust and fall hazards during elevated work. This study applied Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to the design of a fireproofing spray robot by translating field requirements into technical characteristics and identifying five major design conflicts: reach capability vs. stability, spray module flexibility vs. stability, sensor protection vs. sensing visibility, material supply reliability vs. stability, and material supply reliability vs. working range. Based on these conflicts, four designs were then proposed: sensor cover design, material supply continuity design, extended reach and stabilization design, and adaptive nozzle positioning design. A customer requirement-weighted evaluation showed that extended reach and stabilization design received the highest score because it most directly addressed accessibility to target surfaces at various heights, working range per setup, and stable operation at elevated positions. The other designs mainly addressed sensing reliability, material supply continuity, and nozzle adaptability to different member geometries and surface orientations. Accordingly, this study provides a QFD-based design for a fireproofing spray robot intended to address broader field requirements than previous systems developed for specific operating conditions.