3D Printed Bridge Holds 146X Its Own Weight

By on December 10th, 2010 in learning

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Students at the Rochester Institute of Technology Statics Lab were challenged to build a truss out of any non-metallic material, with the winning design being the one holding up the most weight.
 
While other students opted for traditional materials such as bamboo or wood, student Kyle Manchester remembered there was a Dimension 3D printer on campus from previous work he’d done. He decided what any of us would do: print the truss components on the Dimension 3D printer. 
 
By carefully designing the components to match the predicted static loads, Kyle printed out the dozens of required objects and assembled them into the bridge you see in the image above. You’ll also perhaps notice the more than 40 bricks supported by the not-so-fragile 1.3 pound truss. The truss also held up a team member weighing 190 pounds, meaning it held up 146.15 times its own weight. 
 
Hat tip to Jessica

By Kerry Stevenson

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!

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