Innovating the Electrial Installation : Adapting to the Modern Method of House Building

Abstract: This thesis was a project that was conducted on behalf of Lindbäcks Bygg AB, Träcentrum Norr and Luleå University of Technology. The goal of the project was to develop a new method of performing the electrical installation in the housing modules being built at Lindbäcks Byggs factory. This solution was to be faster, more cost efficient and improve the indoor climate in the final building. Earlier student projects had been done for solving this where the concept for new products had been produced. With that as a base, studies in the laws and standards that governs the electrical installation, a workplace study and interviews was performed and investigations in how the electrical installation currently is performed was done. From this an iterative development phase started, where the problem was broken down in to sub-problems to better be able to work them trough in depth one by one. The sub-problems that were identified was the ceiling junction box, wall junction box, wall – ceiling connection and the wire. During the development phase the need for a solution for when the wall junction box is to be installed in a double wall. To evaluate the different concepts 3d-printing was used extensively given the unbeatable possibility to find problems with the design that this provides. The results was a set of products and a new way of performing the electrical installation that combined reduced costs, shortened lead times, improved working conditions for the person performing the installation and improved indoor climate. The result of the project is presented in the form of a working prototype that can be installed in a module, used for evaluation at a testing facility and estimating production costs.