Amsterdam Getting 3D Printed Steel Bridge

3D printing is constantly innovating construction, but a project which is set to begin in two years time in Amsterdam, is really pushing the limits of what we thought was possible. The unique project will not involve any human builders, instead using a six-axis robot that can 3D print molten metal in mid-air. The robot will build the bridge from one end of the canal to the other in just two months, working its way across the 24 foot-long steel bridge as it builds it.

The MX3D bots can create its own rail supports as it goes, moving along them and printing the bridge, which will later serve as a pedestrian bridge.

The idea comes for R&D company MX3D. They’ve spent years thinking about the future of 3D printing and while their latest project may turn out to be a flop, literally, it’s certainly an innovative idea and one that could prove incredibly useful across the entire construction industry.

Just think of all the dangerous places that would benefit from a bridge, it would certainly be easier to let a robot do the bridge building and leave humans to work on surrounding projects.

Small-scale demonstrations have already proven successful, but it remains to be seen how the full-scale, exposed to the elements, construction process will hold up.

Thank you Gizmodo for providing us with this information.