The Dutch startup MX3D, a 3D printing R&D company, is planning to 3d print a steel bridge over water in the center of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The designer Joris Laarman has created this new research and development company called MX3D, which specializes in building six-axis robots that can 3-D print metal and resin in mid-air.
“This bridge will show how 3D printing finally enters the world of large-scale, functional objects and sustainable materials while allowing unprecedented freedom of form.”
“The symbolism of the bridge is a beautiful metaphor to connect the technology of the future with the old city, in a way that brings out the best of both worlds.”
They equips multi-axis industrial robots with 3D printing tools and develops software so that the robots print metals, plastics and combinations of materials in virtually any format. From large construction to small part – with this technique MX3D can 3D print strong, complex structures of durable material. The new technique is cost-effective and scalable, more than current 3D printing methods, and offers creative robot production solutions for art, construction and more.
For the bridge project, the robots will be printing in steel. They will use specially-designed arms that heat up the metal to 1,500° C before welding the structure. It will be as strong and as any other bridge. People will be able to walk back and forth over it for decades.
According to fastcodesign, “The finished bridge will be around 24 feet long, support normal Amsterdam foot traffic, and feature a beautiful, intricate design that looks far more handcrafted than the detailing on most bridges. Because 3-D printing allows for a granular control of detail that industrial manufacturing does not, designs can be much more ornate, and almost bespoke in appearance.”
According to Maurice Conti, head of Autodesk’s Applied Research Lab, Autodesk wanted to work with MX3D because it would help tackle other problems inherent to 3-D printing.
“Robots tend to assume that the universe is made of absolutes, even though that’s not true,” Conti says. “So we need to program them to have real-time feedback loops, and adapt in real-time, without even being told to.”
MX3D teams up with design software company AutoDesk, construction company Heijmans and many others to do this amazing work.
It is hoped that the entire process will take place on-site. And, it will be built over the course of two months in fall of 2017.
