How Digital Technology Achieves Precise Joining of Double-Curved GRC Panels

The precise jointing of double-curved GRC panels is a technical bottleneck for modern architecture in achieving seamless, fluid curved surfaces, and its solution depends on the deep integration of three technical pillars: "3D digital design, high-precision manufacturing, and intelligent measurement and positioning." In projects such as the Century Plaza on Nanjing East Road at Shanghai New World and the Guangxi New Media Center, Qinglong Group has built a complete digital chain from digital model to physical construction, achieving millimeter-level jointing precision for double-curved panels.

The cornerstone of precise jointing is upstream 3D parametric design and detailing. Qinglong's BIM team uses software such as Rhino and Grasshopper to perform constructability analysis on the architect's creative model. Algorithms rationally divide the complex overall curved surface into producible individual panels and optimize the division lines so that they are located, as far as possible, in areas where curvature changes gently. In the digital model, each panel is assigned a unique ID and spatial coordinates, and the width and shape of the panel joints are precisely designed. This process ensures that in the virtual world, all panels have already achieved perfect jointing.

Seamless data transfer during the manufacturing stage is key. The detailed 3D model is used directly to guide CNC mold machining (five-axis CNC), ensuring a high degree of consistency between the mold surface and the design model. Qinglong employs a digital management system on its production lines, binding each panel's production data (such as mold number, material batch, and curing records) to its digital ID, enabling full life-cycle quality traceability. High-precision molds and standardized process workflows are prerequisites for producing components that match the design dimensions.

On-site intelligent measurement and installation positioning is the final critical step. Before installation, Qinglong's surveying team uses 3D laser scanners to capture actual point cloud data of the building structure and compares it with the BIM model to correct deviations in the main structure caused by construction errors. During installation, a total station precisely projects the theoretical installation coordinates of each panel onto the site. Qinglong's patented 3D adjustable anchor system allows installers to make fine adjustments in three dimensions, with final verification by measuring instruments to ensure each panel's spatial position matches the design model, thereby achieving precise jointing between double-curved panels. This integrated process of "digital design - digital manufacturing - digital installation" is the fundamental approach to solving precision control problems in complex curved-surface architecture.