3D printing: first 3D-printed steel bridge to be built over Amsterdam canal - TomoNews

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS — Dutch startup company MX3D has announced plans to build the world’s first 3-D printed bridge across an Amsterdam canal. The company hopes the technique could become standard on future construction projects. The company has invented robotic printers that weld steel structures using 3-D technology. The process involves robotic arm printers “walking” across the canal as it slides along the bridge’s edges, allowing the structure that has already been printed to support the weight of the robots. The robotic arms work by heating metal to 1,500 degrees Celsius (around 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit) and welding the structure drop-by-drop, according to MX3D. A computer program plots the design of the structure. Company representatives hope the bridge in Amsterdam will pave the way for using the same technique on construction sites, especially those involving dangerous processes such as construction on high buildings.