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The Most Impressive 3D-Printed Bridge Projects

In the construction industry, additive manufacturing is being widely used today. Whether it’s to build houses, schools, or even bridges, 3D technology offers great benefits. In terms of structures and walkways of urban architecture, 3D-printed bridge projects have multiplied in r

The Most Impressive 3D-Printed Bridge Projects
3Dnatives

In the construction industry, additive manufacturing is being widely used today. Whether it’s to build houses, schools, or even bridges, 3D technology offers great benefits. In terms of structures and walkways of urban architecture, 3D-printed bridge projects have multiplied in recent years. Many countries are now using additive manufacturing to build these connecting structures, in part due to the low cost. To learn more about these sorts of projects and how additive manufacturing facilitates the construction of bridges, we have compiled a list of some of the most preeminent initiatives of recent years, whether they are completed or currently still under construction.

A Walkway Made With 60% Less Material

Although it seems difficult to believe, this project is a reality. Specifically, it was Ghent University that carried out the initiative to create a walkway through additive manufacturing that required less material and had a reduced environmental impact. On the project, Ghent University worked with Vertico and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology to design the pedestrian bridge, which is not very impressive for its size, but it is impressive in terms of aesthetics, and especially striking for being a bridge with optimized topology. For this, they used their concrete 3D printer that offers a printing volume of 4.5 x 2 x 2.5 m, with a material specially designed for this purpose. In this way, the company aims to reduce CO2 emissions and increase productivity in the construction sector.

Photo Credit: Vertico

The Technological University of Eindhoven’s Collaboration

Acclaimed architect Michiel van der Kley, along with Summum Engineering and Witteveen+Bos collaborated with the Technological University of Eindhoven (TU/e) on the design of the 3D model for the longest 3D-printed bridges built for cyclists. The bridge was manufactured in the 3D printing center of Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix, which uses several BAM robotic arms. The 29-meter-long bridge was designed with round and natural shapes to blend in with its outdoor placement.