Amsterdam to get 3D Printed Bridge: Machines have 3D-printed everything from fashion statements to weapons, but now the technology will be used to create infrastructure. A Dutch design company plans to use special robots to 3D-print a steel bridge across the Amsterdam Canal. The ambitious plan will rely on robotic 3D printing technology, which essentially makes it possible to draw structures in mid-air. The technology belongs to MX3D, an Amsterdam-based metal printing firm.

We research and develop groundbreaking, cost-effective robotic technology with which we can 3D print beautiful, functional objects in almost any form,” MX3D wrote. The bridge project will put this technique to the ultimate test by having the robots print their own supportive railing as they move over the water while constructing the pathway.

In this technique, small increments of molten metal are welded to the existing structure, creating lines of steel and the same is used to print the bridge out of steel. By printing multiple lines, the printer will be able to create a strong, complex structure that spans the canal – printing its own supports along the way so that it can operate autonomously.

they estimated completion date is 2017. A visitor center in Amsterdam is scheduled to open in September, allowing people to follow the project’s progress.

Highlights:

• The robots will be printing in steel, using special arms that heat up the metal to 1,500 C (2,732 F) before welding the structure, resulting in a strong and durable pedestrian bridge.
• The bridge’s designer, Joris Laarman, has called the project a “fantastic metaphor for joining the technology of the future with [Amsterdam’s] historic past.
• A company called MX3D, which specializes in using robotics to 3D print
• Dutch designer: Joris Laaram
• partner ship with Autodesk and the construction company Heijmans to make the arch a reality