Last week it was still shining at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven and now it is just about ready to be installed in Amsterdam: MX3D's first 3D-printed steel bridge. The construction will be placed on the famous Red Light District.
The groundbreaking project is an initiative of Dutch start-up MX3D. The unique design sprung from the brain of designer Joris Laarman. The development came about with partners such as Arup, Autodesk, Heijmans, ArcelorMittal and Imperial College London. The bridge will be placed over the canal of the Oudezijds Achterburgwal (Red Light District). On its website, MX3D says: "A breakthrough for the innovative possibilities of (large-scale) 3D printing: the introduction of this technique to a public use object increases the social awareness and adoption of this technique. The project symbolises the speed at which this new technique and possible applications are developing."
Sensors
As the construction method is new (the bridge is 3D-printed by robots) and has not been used in such a large-scale project before, MX3D worked with Amsterdam officials to develop a new safety standard and also coordinated with partners including the Alan Turing Institute in the UK. The bridge is equipped with a network of sensors. MX3D previously said in an interview with Gizmodo that the structure will one day be able to collect data on "bridge traffic, structural integrity and the surrounding environment, using the information as input for a 'digital twin' of the bridge that is monitored to detect any safety issues. A steel deck at the bottom of the bridge should also provide additional stability. The data could also be useful to design similar bridges in the future.'
Visual
"Last Thursday, we tested the bridge with 30 people and it went fine. It behaves like a bridge as it should," co-founder of MX3D, Gijs van der Velden, told Gizmodo in the same interview earlier this year. "With the bridge deck on top, it will be even stronger."
It is not the first 3D-printed bridge in the Netherlands: another project in Gemert using concrete was opened in 2017, but this structure is visually not as impressive as MX3D's The Bridge. Originally, MX3D's plan was to build the bridge on-site in the air, but was eventually abandoned. However, the robots used to apply layers of stainless steel to the structure could be used for on-site construction. There are also potential commercial applications for the technology outside construction, MX3D said, such as manufacturing in the maritime and aerospace sectors.
Dutch Design Week visitors were able to admire the bridge extensively for the first time. It will take a little longer before the bridge is actually in Amsterdam and can be used by pedestrians. It will have to wait for the renovation of the canal near the Oudezijds Achterburgwal and the Stoofsteeg, where the bridge will be installed. The first steps will probably be taken in mid-2019.
"Having finished the first stages of our challenging project, we are now inviting people to use the bridge," Van der Velden told Gizmodo. "This will help us generate the data we need to keep making our designs more intelligent."
The video below (click on the image) shows the latest update around the bridge.
Source: Gizmodo/MX3D
Photo: Joris Laarman Lab
