April 26, 2018 Back in 2015, Dutch technology company MX3D shocked the world by announcing plans to 3D-print the bridge in […]
April 26, 2018
Back in 2015, Dutch technology company MX3D shocked the world by announcing plans to 3D-print the bridge in mid-air over one of Amsterdam’s canals.
That plan has been altered slightly in the nearly 3 years since the announcement, but the group recently completed printing the full span of the bridge.
It took four robots, nearly 10,000 pounds of stainless steel, about 684 miles of wire, and six months of printing to build the sinuous, undulating structure, which looks like it’s straight out of a science-fiction movie.
The MX3D Bridge, designed by Joris Laarman Lab, is around 41 feet by 20 feet, and it’s made from a new kind of steel. 3D-printing created a ribbed surface as robots added layers upon layers; Gizmodo said it could be buffed out, but MX3D plans to keep the unique, rough look.
MX3D’s bridge is to be installed over the Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal in Amsterdam, possibly in 2019. Before that, the bridge will undergo load tests. To test the 3D printed bridge, a network of smart sensors has been installed on the structure, which allows the engineers to make a “digital twin” of the bridge.
Co-founder Gijs van der Velden told Gizmodo they recently tested it with 30 people, and it behaved as it should.
Gizmodo reported that, since this is the first 3D printed steel bridge that has existed, MX3D is working with the city to create a new safety standard for the category.
The 3D-printed bridge is a real thing. The designers and engineers actually 3D-printed a bridge. They stood on it, walked across it, took pictures with it.
Check out the video below to see what it looks like…