This Ambitious Startup Plans to 3D Print a Bridge in Amsterdam

A robotic 3D printer that exudes cords of molten steel will soon trace out the scaffolding for the world’s first 3D printed bridge, according to the Amsterdam-based inventors of the device.

The project was conceived by Dutch 3D printing company, MX3D, along with the engineering software giant, Autodesk, in order to showcase a new generation of 3D printers that can trace out sturdy yet graceful lines of steel in midair.

“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,” said bridge designer Joris Laarman.

An artist’s rendering shows the robotic printers inching along a partially constructed span, while gradually tracing out the path ahead. Construction will take place over two fateful months in 2017, the designers told Fast Company.