World’s first 3D-printed steel bridge opened in Amsterdam
Amsterdam, has unveiled the world’s first 3D-printed steel pedestrian bridge. This project has been opened on the Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal in the city of Amsterdam. The opening ceremony of this bridge was attended by the Queen of the Netherlands, Máxima.
About the 3D-printed steel bridge
- The length of the bridge is nearly 40 feet.
- It is a 6-ton stainless steel structure.
- This bridge has been constructed by MX3D an Amsterdam based 3D metal printing company.
- The entire printing process, with the help of four robots, took just six months.
- The bridge has been designed by the Joris Laarman Lab and was first unveiled during the Dutch Design Week in the year 2018.
- After several load-testing rounds were carried out in 2019 there were plans to install the structure in early 2020. However, the ongoing site preparation work at the canal delayed the bridge’s installation.
Tenure of the bridge
The stainless steel structure has been named the MX3D Smart Bridge and it will remain in place for minimum of two years while the previous footbridge which was spread over the canal undergoes renovation. During its two-year tenure this bridge will act as a living laboratory and its performance will be analyzed and monitored in real time by researchers from the Alan Turing Institute’s Data-Centric Engineering Programme, Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge.
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Month: Current Affairs - July, 2021