Moving to machine-driven fabrication changes how contractors prepare work in BIM, release it to the shop, and manage production. EVOLVE created the FabLab to test and demonstrate those connected workflows in a real fabrication environment, giving contractors a firsthand look at what adopting more automation would mean for their operations.

We sat down with EVOLVE CEO Richard Burroughs IV to discuss what inspired him to create the FabLab and how lessons from the shop floor shape product development at EVOLVE. He also shares how the FabLab will help shape the future of electrical fabrication and what contractors can learn by visiting.

When did you first have the idea for a dedicated fabrication facility, and what ultimately motivated you to build it?

Richard Burroughs IV: The first inkling came several years ago, during a conversation I was having with a prefab shop leader who was fascinated by a machine called a “Crippa bender.” I had never heard of it, but his keen interest in what it could do for conduit production stuck with me. Over time, we saw other clients become early adopters and recognized a broader shift toward machine automation in electrical shops.

Moving from manual or semi-manual to machine-driven fabrication changes the workflow from BIM through prefabrication. Contractors already understand the need for upfront design and coordination work, and they know they need tools to support it. A digital fabrication workflow, especially one built around machine automation, asks them to change how they operate their shops and field demand from design teams. A software presentation alone cannot illustrate the full impact of that change. We knew that, to build software for contractors who want to bring more automation into their shops, we needed a facility where we could test and demonstrate those workflows. That’s when we decided to create the FabLab.

We also wanted a place to carry out research and development. Providing a machine with the right data format is a very small part of reliable workflow. Different suppliers’ materials behave differently. We need to test elongation, springback, tolerances, and the design and fabrication steps that account for them. With CNC bending, for example, we should be able to accommodate elongation in the design phase, rather than having someone cut a small amount of material off of a straight piece of conduit. By running the workflow ourselves in the FabLab, we build a more mature product that works in a real production environment.

What else can EVOLVE learn from operating real fabrication equipment that it cannot learn from software testing alone?

RB: Elements like small user interface design decisions matter to the fabricators on the floor. When you’re wearing gloves and feeding conduit into a CNC bender, you don’t want to hunt for small buttons on an iPad to review your queue. Working in that environment helps us understand the people using the software, which in turn shapes hundreds of decisions about design.

Our main goal is to provide shop software that new customers can adopt without long implementation or extensive formal training. Spending time on the shop floor helps us make the software more intuitive and accessible.

Why did you choose to build the FabLab in Atlanta?

RB: Atlanta made sense for several reasons. I know the area well from growing up in construction there, and we already had a network of industrial real estate contacts that helped us move quickly. It’s also located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, making it accessible to contractors across the country. We wanted visitors who spent a day or more with us to have easy travel, good hotels, and places to meet outside of the lab.

How can contractors use the FabLab to evaluate new fabrication technology, such as a CNC bender?

RB: A CNC bender changes much more than the time required to produce a bend. It affects the workflow all the way back to design. For example, printed labels and QR codes can support quality control and help a shop track validation and yield. A machine capable of producing roughly 150–200 bends a day also changes how work is released and batched.

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To keep that work cell supplied, contractors need to get bend data from Revit and field requests, organize it centrally, and ensure the parts meet machine constraints, such as minimum nose and tail lengths.

At the FabLab, contractors can see the whole process, from design and publishing through fabrication, quality control, and completion. When they can see these steps together, they’ll come away with a better understanding of both the power of new technology and how it will change their operations.

What other goals do you have for the FabLab when it comes to EVOLVE and the broader construction industry?

RB: One goal is for contractors who visit to understand that our technology has been tested in a production setting. The FabLab should give them deeper insight into how our VDC, fabrication, and shop tools work together as a single platform that enables them to advance their operations.

The other goal, which is harder to quantify, is to help the industry imagine better ways to work. Some of the best moments at the FabLab are when visitors from different companies start talking to each other about their own operations. When this happens, we typically step back and listen. These conversations show that the FabLab is helping contractors think through ways they can improve their businesses.

Were there any challenges during construction that stick out?

RB: Getting the CNC bender installed produced a few memorable challenges. It needed electrical power that the light industrial space didn’t already have. Our electrician faced a nine-week lead time for a transformer, which would have delayed installation. Luckily, a client of ours had one available. Paying double for a redundant transformer was a small price to pay to move faster.

Installing the conduit for that power also generated noise complaints from neighboring tenants, since we had to hammer clamps onto the beams that ran throughout the space. We also ran into a brief problem with our door: The floor plan showed an opening about 10 feet wide, but the actual opening left the rigging crew with only about an inch of clearance for the bender. We got it inside, but there were a few close calls.

Does a contractor need to have advanced equipment to benefit from visiting the FabLab?

RB: No. While we believe that CNC bending can make economic sense for a broad range of electrical contractors, it is a significant investment that companies have to evaluate on their own. The FabLab also demonstrates a digital design through fabrication workflow that improves quality, consistency, and speed with traditional equipment. A team can extract bends from Revit, organize them into queues, and give the work cell immediate access to fabrication instructions without searching through schedules, printed sheets, or shop drawings.

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This reduces the time spent retrieving information, and it also improves output. In fact, much of the digital workflow is the same, whether a person or automated machine performs the bend. Any electrical contractor interested in improving their shop operations can come and see what that connection from VDC to fabrication looks like.

Going into 2027, where do you see electrical fabrication heading, and how does the FabLab fit into that future?

RB: We are seeing more electrical contractors incorporate automation into their shops. Beyond CNC benders for conduit, they’re bringing in laser cutting for angle iron, strut, and conduit, CNC routers for duct bank cards, strut forming machines, linear positioners paired with cold saws, and more. We intend to support these processes, and much of that work will begin at the FabLab. You can check out our new linear positioner and cold saw machine integration at our open house in November.

Another area we are beginning to study in the FabLab is how shops track and report labor. Currently, labor is often accounted for at the cost-code level through timesheets or other systems, but there is a gap in understanding direct labor in electrical fabrication. Mechanical contractors can use measures like weld inches; electrical work does not have such a straightforward common denominator.

As such, we want to use the FabLab to study actual direct labor, such as cycle times for spools or packages, yield, and re-work rates, and how those measurements can help support forecasting. For example, we currently have an early proof-of-concept for AI-based labor forecasting, and the FabLab will give us better data on actual work that will inform the next phase of that project.