Dutch construction services firm Heijmans announced last week that it will collaborate with Dutch start-up MX3D on the three-dimensional (3D) printing of a steel bridge, to be located in the centre of Amsterdam.

The bridge will be designed by Dutch designer Joris Laarman.

MX3D equips multi-axis industrial robots with 3D printing tools, and develops software so that the robots can print metals, plastics and a combination of materials in virtually any format.

Using this technique MX3D says it can print strong, complex structures made of durable materials.

The start-up believes its new techniques are cost-effective and scalable, more so than current 3D printing methods, while also offering creative robot production solutions in fields such as art and construction.

Laarman says he “strongly believes” in the future of digital production, and the new craft of 3D printing.

“This bridge will show how 3D printing finally enters the world of large-scale, functional objects and sustainable materials, while allowing unprecedented freedom of form.

“The symbolism of the bridge is a beautiful metaphor to connect the technology of the future with the old city, in a way that brings out the best of both worlds.”

Heijmans will contribute its knowledge and experience in construction and technology to the project.

“Heijmans realises things must change,” says Heijmans Infra innovation manager Jurre van der Ven, explaining the reasoning behind the partnership.

“MX3D is involved in other types of production and wants to scale up from furniture to a bridge.

“We will be testing for the first two years, but want to effectively start printing the bridge in year three.”

“The eventual aim is to create an automatic construction site,” adds Heijmans Infra business development manager
Jan van de Ven.

“Robots, which were previously only suitable for serial production, are now able to do a great deal more thanks to today’s computing power and the user-friendliness of software.

“ ‘On demand’ is quickly increasing in popularity in all sectors. In addition, there is increasing demand for special shapes – and everything has to be as cheap as possible. 3D printing is the culmination of all these requirements. And this is something we need to react to.”

Jurre says there are several immediate benefits to using 3D printing for construction purposes.

“Construction and design are currently rather separate factors in construction – the architect designs something and the constructor interprets the design and builds what he thinks is needed.

“But, using 3D printing for a bridge makes design and construction operate hand-in-hand. This means we will also have to start looking at design in a completely different manner.

“The exact roles played by design and construction during this [project] still need to be examined together with the people at Joris Laarman. [And], extensive testing will first need to be carried out,” he adds.

Jan believes developments such as the bridge project are a good way of improving in-house know-how.

“We want to show our customers the possibilities available to them.

“In our opinion, these developments should also be a real wake-up call for our education system.

“We need people with different skills than those currently being offered. IT is one of the most under-rated aspects in the construction sector, but is one of the main driving forces for innovation.

“The construction sector needs people who are able to understand IT, construction, as well as design. But today's qualifications are not combining these three important factors.”

The MX3D Bridge project will be supported by Autodesk and Heijmans, sponsors Air Liquide , ABB robotics, STV, Delcam, Within, Lenovo and public partners TU Delft, AMS, and the Amsterdam City Council.

A visitor’s center will open in September, where the public can follow the project’s progress.

MX3D and the City of Amsterdam note that they will “announce the exact location of the bridge soon”.