DC News
Industry News & Trends
Tasmania signs national Kit of Parts pact to industrialise offsite housing
On 28 August 2026, Tasmania joined a national Kit of Parts agreement to standardise offsite-manufactured housing components across Australian jurisdictions. Distributed manufacturers can produce repeatable parts under common specs — a DfMA signal for CAD/BIM/MFG component libraries and file-to-factory models.
PrefabAUS launches standard contract that pays factories like factories
On 2 September 2026, PrefabAUS released a Class 1 Standard Form Contract that stages payments through design, offsite manufacture, transport, placement and completion — instead of traditional site progress draws. Procurement reform that treats BIM/CAM packages as bankable deliverables.
RMIT’s 3D-printed titanium lattice floats—even after it’s cracked
RMIT’s Centre for Additive Manufacturing announced a foam-filled titanium open-cell lattice that stays buoyant after damage and is far stronger than stainless steel or HDPE at the same density — a lattice-design and metal-AM use case for digital manufacturing.
Trimble acquires Terasat Japan to expand centimetre VRS positioning
On 8 September 2026, Trimble acquired Terasat Japan to offer Trimble VRS directly in Japan via GSI’s 1,300+ CORS network — roughly centimetre-level corrections without customer base stations. Reinforces digital model-to-field positioning as a competitive battleground for survey and construction.
Bentley MCP wins Gold Stevie for AI in engineering apps
Bentley’s Model Context Protocol servers for STAAD.Pro and MicroStation won a Gold Stevie for technology breakthrough — letting AI assistants drive validated engineering apps instead of hallucinating models. The clearest rival narrative on open agent-to-analysis workflows.
SOLIDWORKS AI: blue tokens meter usage for drawings and insights
SOLIDWORKS is selling AI usage as blue tokens alongside Aura/Leo/Marie companions on 3DEXPERIENCE — signalling metered AI consumption in mainstream MFG CAD. A pricing/value conversation Autodesk Fusion and Inventor shops will hear.
Graphisoft / Nemetschek push open browser collab and AI design early access
Graphisoft detailed next Design Intelligence steps: a Nemetschek-wide browser Open Collaboration Platform and a web AI+simulation design platform for early massing/layout/performance — early access from October. Open early-decision collab vs closed authoring silos.
Hexagon OPTIV S brings AI-assisted optical CMM to the shop floor
Hexagon launched next-gen OPTIV S optical/multisensor CMM with faster cycles and phased PC-DMIS AI for edge detection and autofocus around IMTS week. Relevant for digital thread into inspection automation.
Europe’s largest 3D-printed housing village opens under Denmark’s cost cap
3DCP Group handed over Skovsporet in Holstebro — 36 student apartments across six buildings — described as Europe’s largest 3D-printed housing project, delivered under Denmark’s subsidised-housing cost cap. Production-grade model-to-print at residential scale.
Bedrock’s autonomous excavators hit live US commercial jobsites
Bedrock Robotics says fully autonomous excavators are running on paying infrastructure jobs with major contractors — same-day retrofit, 360° sensing, auto-stop on intrusion. Earthmoving autonomy moving from pilots toward production.
Caterpillar partners with FieldAI on physical AI for sites and plants
Caterpillar partnered with FieldAI to push physical AI for autonomous inspections, digital twins and situational awareness on construction/mining sites and manufacturing facilities. OEM validation of robotics AI for heavy industry.
California modular: bonding backstop and lender thaw
California policy and industry moves are attacking modular finance and bonding barriers — including a multifamily bond backstop bill path — as lenders warm to offsite housing. Policy is targeting historically the MMC scale blockers.
US DOE puts ~US$73M into Mine of the Future proving grounds
The US Department of Energy selected projects worth about US$73M for real-world mining tech testbeds — automation, sensing, electrification and workforce training for critical minerals.
Zhangjinggao Yangtze bridge completes key rope crossing
The world’s longest-span bridge under construction completed a key guide-rope crossing of the ~2,300 m main channel — start of upper-structure works linking Zhangjiagang, Jingjiang and Rugao. Epic civil digital-delivery storytelling.
Cleora Colorado robotic 3D-printed township scales past the demo home
Cleora near Salida, Colorado — a planned 3D-printed community — has infrastructure complete and robotic printers on site; most of 106 homes expected to use robotic 3D printing. Fleet + BIM coordination at neighbourhood scale.
Korean modular builder to deploy humanoids on insulation lines
BigWave Robotics partnered with Space Factory to deploy humanoid robots on Korean modular housing production, starting with hazardous insulation install — a path toward unmanned dark-factory modular lines.
