3D-PRINTED BRIDGE WILL BRING TECHNOLOGY TO TRADITION

Collaborative Effort Involving MX3D to 3D Print New Bridge For Amsterdam

The global fame of the Netherlands in the area of 3D printing has combined with its capital’s recognition for bridges in a collaboration by Heijmans, MX3D, and Joris Laarman Lab. The first-of-its-kind project aims to create a 3D printed steel pedestrian bridge that will span one of Amsterdam’s historic canals, though the exact location has not yet been made public.

Plans to build the bridge are based on start-up MX3D’s technology, which uses 6-axis robotic machines to create structures from steel literally in mid-air. Using at least two of these machines, with one on either bank of the canal, the ends of the bridge will be built toward one another and meet in the middle. According to Joris Laarman, the bridge’s designer, the bridge will serve as a metaphor for the joining of the city’s historic past with today’s technological advancement, while MX3D CTO Tim Geurtjens says that the project is an ideal way to showcase the endless possibilities of the company’s principle of ‘Printing Outside the Box.’

Other supporters of the project include Autodesk, whose technology has been used by Laarman in the design process, and such sponsors as ABB, Air Liquide, Delcam, Lenovo, and Within. The project’s public partners are the Amsterdam City Council, AMS, and TU Delft. A visitor center with extensive information on the project will be open in September.