Is the 3D printed steel bridge by MX3D finally ready?

Last September, we highlighted the progress that MX3D had made on their 3D steel bridge. Well, this month, we’re back again with another update and it looks like the Dutch construction company has made even more progress than before! MX3D has recently revealed the first photos of their bridge, explaining that it would incorporate smart sensors that will monitor the construction of the structure as well as its durability.

In October 2015, MX3D began building a steel bridge using 3D technologies: it developed a 6-axis robot that would extrude metal rods that could then be welded together, layer by layer. This process is called Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), which is also used by RAMLAB to design their boat propellers.

Photo credit: Joris Laarman Lab

Smart sensors on a 3D printed steel bridge

MX3D will be working with the Cambridge Center for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC), Imperial College London and the Alan Turing Institute in the UK to install the sensors onto the 3D printed bridge. These sensors will collect data that will be used to build a second digital bridge, the “Digital Twin”, in order to better understand the state of the structure and make any necessary changes.