MX3D Reveals First Section of 3D Printed Steel Bridge

By on September 28th, 2017 in Usage

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 A section of a 3D printed bridge in metal
A section of a 3D printed bridge in metal

Recently, we talked about MX3D getting all giant metal 3d printing robot on us and printing the 3D structures of the future. 

If you’re familiar with the company, you know they’ve been busy the last few years on a mission to build the first functional 3D printed bridge across the Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal in the De Wallen (red light) district of Amsterdam. They’ve now completed the first section at the MX3D warehouse and it’s now you’ll start to get a better realization of just how massive the 12 meter bridge will be.

Prior to the bridge they’ve created a number of proof-of-concept installations from dragon benches to decorative facades with the bridge itself a functional proof-of-concept for larger structures.

 3D printing a bridge structure using a robotic additive technique
3D printing a bridge structure using a robotic additive technique

The company created intelligent software that transforms a robot and a welding machine into a large scale printer, enabling 3D printing of metals on an architectural scale. The technique greatly extends the form freedom for architects and engineers and has huge potential to reduce the amount of material needed to make large structures.

The bridge has gone through several design updates as safety and material are understood better, and technical capabilities improved. The final design by Joris Laarman Lab is a drastic contrast to the first iteration and testament to how far the project has come.

Read the rest at SolidSmack.com

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!