Solutions For

Laser Scanning & BIM Coordination for Materials Recovery Facilities

MRF capacity expansion projects carry a specific risk: equipment is expensive, production cannot stop for extended periods, and the gap between what the drawings show and what is actually in the facility can be significant. OAR provides 3D Laser Scanning and BIM Coordination & Virtual Construction services that give MRF operators verified existing conditions before equipment is engineered, procured, or installed.

OAR serves MRF operators and project teams across the Northeast: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. BIM Coordination and Digital Delivery & Implementation are delivered remotely nationwide.

WHY IT MATTERS

Scan your facility. Coordinate the upgrade. Keep the lines running.

Verified Conditions in Active, Complex Environments

MRFs are dense, dynamic, and difficult to document. Conveyor systems, sorting equipment, screen decks, electrical runs, and structural elements change with every upgrade. We capture the current state of your facility while operations continue and deliver models your engineering team can design with confidence.

We have worked with MRFs where the last set of as-builts was from the original construction, and three sorting line upgrades had happened since. The engineering team designing the next upgrade had no reliable baseline to start from. One scan gave them the full facility in verified 3D, and the design started from what was actually there instead of what someone remembered.

Equipment Upgrades That Fit the Building Around Them

Equipment OEMs deliver layout drawings for their sorting lines, compactors, and conveyors. Those drawings almost never account for the building systems around them. Sprinkler heads, electrical conduit, compressed air lines, and structural bracing all occupy the same space the new equipment needs to fit into. We coordinate the OEM layout against the scanned existing conditions, so every conflict between the equipment scope and the building scope is resolved before fabrication.

We have seen equipment installations stall on day one because the OEM layout assumed clear space that did not exist. A conveyor transition sat exactly where a fire sprinkler main crossed the bay. The equipment supplier said it was not their scope. The building contractor said it was not in their drawings. The facility owner was caught in the middle with a shutdown window closing. We coordinate both sides of that interface, so the installation team shows up to a space where everything fits.

Shutdown Windows That Hold

Every hour a sorting line is down; material is either diverted to landfill or piling up on the tipping floor. Shutdown windows at MRFs are short, expensive, and rarely flexible. We plan installation sequences in 3D and resolve conflicts in the model, so your crew executes the upgrade in the window you have, not the one you wish you had.

We have worked upgrades where the facility had a 72-hour shutdown window and the operator was tracking lost throughput by the ton. In that environment, discovering a routing conflict on day two does not just delay the install. It forces a decision between extending the outage or leaving the problem for a future fix. We build the installation sequence from the coordinated model, so every trade knows exactly what they are doing, in what order, before anyone walks onto the floor.

A Facility Model That Grows With You

Every scan and every coordinated model become part of your facility’s digital record. When the next upgrade comes, your engineering or project team starts from verified data instead of starting over. The model pays for itself across every future project on the same facility.

We have worked with MRF operators who re-scanned the same facility for the third time in five years. By the third time, the operations manager asked why they kept paying to document a building they had already documented twice. We structure every delivery, so the data stays with the facility, not the project, and the next capital investment starts from what you already have.

How OAR supports MRF projects

Three services. One partner.

3D Laser Scanning in Active Operations

Verified field conditions. Zero disruption to throughput.

OAR scans MRF facilities during scheduled access windows without disrupting sorting operations. Overhead structure, conveyor systems, optical sorter positions, utility routing, and spatial constraints are all captured with millimeter-level accuracy while the facility continues running.

As-Built Documentation for Capital Project Planning

The facility as it exists today, not as it was originally built.

OAR delivers registered point clouds and Revit models that reflect the facility as it currently exists. Equipment suppliers and installation contractors use this verified data to engineer and plan against actual field conditions, eliminating the assumptions that generate conflicts.

BIM Coordination for Equipment Installations

Conflicts resolved before fabrication begins.

OAR manages clash detection between new equipment and verified existing conditions. Optical sorter conflicts with overhead structure, conveyor integration issues at transfer points, and utility connection conflicts are identified and documented before fabrication and installation begin.

What we support

Project types we work on.

Optical sorter installation & integration

Clash detection between new optical sorters and verified existing conditions: overhead structure clearances, conveyor positions, utility routing, and spatial constraints.

Conveyor system extensions & reconfiguration

Scan-verified existing conditions for conveyor routing, transfer point integration, and structural support planning.

Overhead structure documentation

Verified clearance and load point documentation for equipment mounting, hanging conveyors, and overhead utility routing.

Capacity expansion feasibility

Verified facility dimensions for capacity expansion planning. Eliminate assumptions before engineering budgets are committed.

Multi-phase facility upgrades

Ongoing as-built documentation across multiple project phases for MRFs undergoing long-term capital improvement programs.

What you get

From field conditions to usable data.

Point clouds from scanning

High-density point cloud data captured during active operations. Delivered in .RCP, .RCS, or .E57 format, ready for your engineering and coordination workflow.

As-built Revit models

LOD 300 Revit models reflecting verified existing conditions: structure, conveyors, overhead systems, utilities. The foundation for all capital project engineering.

Clash detection reports

Every conflict between new equipment and existing facility conditions identified and documented before procurement and fabrication. Hard clashes, soft clashes, and clearance violations all tracked.

Coordinated model for equipment suppliers

Shared BIM model giving equipment suppliers verified field geometry during engineering. Eliminates the back-and-forth that happens when suppliers are working from assumptions.

Long-term facility record

A verified digital record of the facility as it exists today, accessible for future capital projects and planning cycles without requiring additional site visits.

Featured Project

Laser scanning and BIM coordination in an active MRF.

Scan-to-BIM · BIM Coordination · MRF / Industrial

Large-Scale MRF Optical Sorter Installation

California · GreenWaste San Jose Material Recovery Facility · Active Single-Stream MRF · Equipment Integration

110,000 SF

Facility scanned

Spatial conflicts identified before fabrication

Field conflicts at installation

An active single-stream materials recovery facility needed to install a new optical sorter into existing overhead structure without disrupting ongoing operations. OAR performed accelerated weekend scanning of the full facility, delivered a LOD 300 Revit model, and ran clash detection against the new equipment model. All 27 conflicts were resolved before fabrication began. The equipment was installed without a single field conflict.

What teams say

From the field.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Can you laser scan a MRF without shutting down operations?

Yes. OAR performs non-intrusive laser scanning in active MRF operations during scheduled access windows, without disrupting sorting lines or conveyor systems. Scanning is coordinated with facility management to minimize production impact.

How does laser scanning help with optical sorter installation?

Laser scanning captures verified existing conditions including overhead structure clearances, conveyor positions, and utility routing. Equipment suppliers use this data to engineer optical sorters to actual field geometry, preventing installation conflicts before the equipment arrives on site.

What is as-built documentation and why does a MRF need it?

As-built documentation is a verified record of the facility as it currently exists, built from laser scan data. MRFs accumulate years of modifications that never make it back to original drawings. As-built data gives project teams a reliable foundation for capital equipment planning.

What types of MRF projects does OAR support?

OAR supports optical sorter installations, conveyor system expansions, overhead structure documentation, multi-phase facility upgrades, and capacity expansion feasibility projects. We serve MRF operators across the Northeast and take coordination scope work nationwide.

How does BIM coordination reduce MRF equipment installation risk?

BIM coordination uses verified as-built models to run clash detection between new equipment and existing facility conditions. Conflicts are identified and resolved before fabrication and installation begin, reducing the risk of field conflicts and unplanned shutdown time.

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