Dutch Queen Maxima teams up with robot to open 3D-printed bridge in Amsterdam
- The distinctive flowing lines of the bridge were created using a 3D printing technique called wire and arc additive manufacturing
- Queen Maxima pushed a green button that set the robot’s arm in motion to cut a ribbon across the bridge with a pair of scissors
Dutch Queen Maxima teamed up with a small robot Thursday to unveil a steel 3D-printed pedestrian bridge over a canal in the heart of Amsterdam’s red light district.
Maxima pushed a green button that set the robot’s arm in motion to cut a ribbon across the bridge with a pair of scissors.
The distinctive flowing lines of the bridge were created using a 3D printing technique called wire and arc additive manufacturing that combines robotics with welding.
Tim Geurtjens, of the company MX3D, said the bridge showcases the possibilities of the technology.
“If you want to have a really highly decorated bridge or really aesthetic bridge, suddenly it becomes a good option to print it,” he said. “Because it’s not just about making things cheaper and more efficient for us, it’s about giving architects and designers a new tool – a new very cool tool – in which they can rethink the design of their architecture and their designs.”
