Sneak peek

Amsterdam’s getting its first 3D printed bridge – and it’s a smart one, too. Robo-manufacturers MX3D are teaming up with partners including Autodesk, The Alan Turing Institute and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS) to 3D print a 12-metre-long, sensor-equipped, stainless-steel pedestrian bridge, which will cross the Oudezijds Achterburgwal in Amsterdam city centre. The bridge is expected to be in place next year, but curious viewers can already take a peek when it is presented at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven.

Image by MX3D

Complex, graceful structures

Based at the NDSM Wharf in Amsterdam Noord, MX3D equip industrial robots with purpose-built tools and develop the software that controls them, an approach which, according to the company, allows them to 3D print “strong, complex and graceful” metal structures, including multi-axis projects such as the bridge.

Image by MX3D

Data-centric engineering

The bridge will be equipped with a network of sensors to collect data, measuring factors such as strain, vibration, surrounding air quality and temperature. This data is then applied to a digital model of the bridge, providing valuable insights for future designs of 3D printed metal structures.

 

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