3D Printing: A New Way To Build Bridges
A great deal of progress has been made in recent years in the 3D printing market.
Why?
This printing method would drastically reduce the amount of wasted materials involved in the construction process; along with boosting overall efficiency of the project as far as speed and cost is concerned. And because it has the potential to greatly improve the process, it's believed that it could bring more construction jobs to market as a result.
With 3D printing, it’s suggested that there would be a great deal of improvement to the construction of various projects.
This is because teams would be able to print large components of the bridge or tunnel etc, without having to cause as much of an interruption to commuters in the general area.
3D-printing bridges..
The building process involved having a 3D-printing robot apply layer-after-layer of steel (see image above). And it’s been suggested that it might be the world’s very first bridge of its kind, with the possibility for many more to follow in the future.
Is it the first?
It might not be the first of its kind, as officials in the Netherlands previously unveiled a concrete 3D-printed bridge several years ago (see image above). That bridge was the work of a company known as BAM Infra, and the small bridge was meant to mostly be used mostly by cyclists.
The 3D-printing robotics company that is behind the recent project in Amsterdam, is known as MX3D. And their bridge is expected to be installed with myriad of smart sensors that are going to be able to record valuable data in real-time.
They’ll be looking to monitor things like weight dispersion, air quality, and other details.
The bridge has already been tested with at least 30 people and researchers say that it performed successfully. Once they are finished, it's expected that the bridge will be placed over a canal in Amsterdam.
Researchers admit that the entire effort wouldn’t have been possible without the support from city officials, because there isn’t a specific code for this type of project. And rather than seek to have the effort shut down, researchers admit that the city officials sought to collaborate with them instead, to see the project finalized.
There are already plans for more bridges to come soon. And various companies in China, the US, and elsewhere, are already busy 3D-printing houses, cars, buildings, food, body parts, household items, and much more.
Pics:
pixabay
Oliver de Guljter via gizmodo
BAM Infra
pixabay
Sources:
https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/26/3d-printing-revolutionizing-roadways-as-well-as-airplanes/
https://gizmodo.com/the-first-3d-printed-steel-bridge-looks-like-it-broke-o-1824252512
http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/hub/ct-us-chamber-3d-printing-infrastructure-bsi-hub-20150702-story.html
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/18/world-first-3d-printed-bridge-cyclists-netherlands
https://www.dezeen.com/2017/10/27/worlds-first-3d-printed-concrete-bridge-bicycles-bam-infra-netherlands/
Related Posts:
3D Printing Technology: Making It Faster and Cheaper
https://steemit.com/technology/@doitvoluntarily/3d-printing-technology-making-it-faster-and-cheaper
Most interesting text, @doitvoluntarily, thank you.
Technology as always allows us to improve our world, and in this case, our real life community by making it easier and more efficient to build things.
Imagining a world in which every person is able to print whatever product they want in their home might sound like a fantasy, but it might as well be real in the coming decades.
I can think about virtual stores selling 3D patterns online that people can download from their home and printing their own product according to the patterns they bought.
Really futuristic and fascinating.
this is very interesting and useful, thanks for sharing the information. Good luck always @doitvoluntarily, is it okay if I return this information?
This is very good news if it is real that it lowers costs for the construction of infrastructure, since in many parts of the world there are bridges that require re-repairs or general replacement and this reduction in cost could make these hobras possible.
In Argentina there are hundreds of stalls that require a general refill.
Excelete news dear friend @doitvoluntarily
Almost every part of the developed world needs a major refresh of its infrastructure. And we will never be able to afford to do it the old way.
Hello friend, I think it's very good news. If this is achieved then many things can be done in different parts of the world that do not have labor or other resources. That makes me very happy because I think that many sites deserve improvements and this could be a solution. Thanks for sharing this news friend. I'm following you and will keep your post pending.
I always know that if I stop by your blog, I'll find out the latest of what those crazy humans are up to! Looks like they're building bridges with robots. What will they think of next! Another great post my friend!
From Santiago Chile! -Dan