A 12-metre-long 3D-printed steel bridge has been erected over one of Amsterdam’s oldest canals.
The Dutch startup MX3D came up with the idea to build the bridge in 2015, and after four years of research and development (and a two-year break), the bridge, weighing around 6,000 kg, was completed this year and handed over by Dutch Queen Máxima on 15 July 2021. Autodesk, Arup, ArcelorMittal, the University of Twente and the Amsterdam City Council worked on the project in collaboration with MX3D.
Welding robots were used to build the bridge, which in combination with intelligent software became capable of 3D printing. The bridge is equipped with sensors to monitor the ageing time of the structure. The aim of the “living laboratory” is to use the results observed during the operation of the bridge to help define the type of construction environment in which the technology could be used in the future.
Source: Designboom, Inceptive Mind