Pick-and-place gantry
Travel X/Y, Z stroke, table height and gripper type; pick-and-place cycle and 13-step assembly guide.
Open example
Engineering
Rapid Prototyping & Planning
Turn a requirement into a parametric machine concept within hours, compare variants in 3D and check how cells and lines fit into the hall – before the first hour of detailed design.
Examples
Concept models to open
Each one is public, parametric and has its motion prepared.
Cobot cell with safety fence
Cell size, fence height, infill and door width; the sliding door and the cobot cycle run as animations.
Open example
Pallet conveyor system
Roller conveyors, turntables, corner transfers, transfer car and vertical conveyor combined into one line, with material flow animation.
Open example
Rotary filling and capping monobloc
Valve count, pitch circle and bottle format; guarding and cladding can be removed to look inside.
Open example
Capabilities
From description to model
Claude Code or Codex writes the model into Sheets through the confBuild MCP server – readable rows, not opaque geometry.
Variants side by side
Saved configurations for size, layout and options that you can compare and reload.
Fit in the layout
Place the cell in the hall plan, check clearances to walkways and machines with rules in the Sheet.
Concepts that survive the next requirement change
In the concept phase the travel gets longer, a station is added, the hall turns out narrower. If the concept is a parametric model, these are changed values. The AI client builds the first version from your description; you keep working on the same Sheets in the browser.
How a concept study runs
-
01
Describe
Main dimensions, required assemblies, the values to vary and what counts as done.
-
02
Generate and check
The model is built, validated and rendered from four views; you correct values or give the next instruction.
-
03
Place and compare
Position the concept in the layout and compare variants in 3D.
-
04
Hand over
Review link, STEP, bill of materials and drawings once the concept is agreed.
Capabilities
What the concept phase needs
The same functions you later use for quotes and configurators.
AI modelling through MCP
Create and change projects from Claude Code or Codex; the AI reasoning runs in your client, the project stays in your confBuild account.
- Profiles for machines, buildings, structures
- Validation before every save
- Rendered views for each revision
Standard parts from the start
Guides, motors, profiles, fasteners and pneumatic parts as native rows, so the concept already has realistic dimensions.
- Dimensions from standard tables
- Purchased parts marked in the BOM
Layout and clearance checks
Hall outline, column grid and walkways in the same project; rules for minimum clearances as formulas with a visible status.
- Collision highlighting in 3D
- Status cells next to the dimensions
After the concept study
Concept model
Editable Sheets with named parameters.
Variants
Saved configurations to compare.
Review link
Browser link with prepared animations.
Exports
STEP, BOM and drawings when needed.
Typical uses
- Feasibility studies before an engineering budget is approved
- Cells and stations that have to fit into an existing hall
- Concepts for a customer meeting next week
Helpful next pages
Workflows
Specialized workflows
01
Rapid Prototyping & Planning
Machine concepts and layout studies as parametric models: describe the requirement, compare variants in 3D and plan cells and lines before the first CAD hour is spent.
05Component Configurators
Configurators for profile frames, pneumatics, guarding and other component families: catalogue parts, cut list, order codes and enquiries from one parametric model.
More detail
More machine examples on machines.confbuild.com
The machine page shows the concept models in more depth and has the product overview as a PDF. Or open the gantry example right away, or tell us about your next concept.