Identifying enablers and relational ontology networks in design for digital fabrication

•Identifies 140 enablers under eight categories in design for digital fabrication.•Analyses the enablers frequency network and illustrates in an adjacency matrix.•Investigates relational ontology networks through the lens of actor-network theory.•Maps three examples of relational ontology networks using onion network diagrams.•Describes process model for designing construction automation in seven steps.