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3D Printed Steel Pedestrian Bridge Will Soon Span an Amsterdam Canal

Posted by samzenpus on from the spanning-the-gap dept.

ErnieKey writes: Amsterdam is famed as the "Venice of the North," with close to 1,300 bridges in use. The next bridge to be built over one of the city's canals will be easily its highest-tech, as it will be constructed via 3D printing technology from MX3D. The steel pedestrian bridge, brought about by a collaboration between MX3D, Heijmans, Joris Laarman Lab, and several sponsors and supporters, will be built using 6-axis industrial robots that will begin construction on either bank and build in toward one another.

107 comments

  1. Not a Canal by X10 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    It's not a canal. It's a gracht.

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    no, I don't have a sig
    1. Re:Not a Canal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A gracht IS a canal. A city-canal to be more precise.

    2. Re:Not a Canal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      No, the Dutch word 'gracht' is used for the small man-made waterways like you see in Amsterdam (and Utrecht, and Leiden, etc.), as well for moats around castles (called burchten). There's no one to one mapping between Dutch and English when it comes to the word gracht.

    3. Re:Not a Canal by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 1

      It's not a canal. It's a gracht.

      Wrong. It's a kannal. It might be a gracht, and if it is it could've been a vaart, maybe even a singel at some time.Until the Dutch government announce where it is I'd hold off on calling it a gracht - just in case both sides of the kanaal aren't lined with houses. No matter which water-filled ditch it is - it will always be a kannal.

      Here's another (better?) story on the project.

      I give more credits to the Dutch who lectured me on the history of their waterways than your Google university degree. As second prize you win 50Kg of lovely Dutch liquorice for your sweet tooth. Enjoy.

    4. Re:Not a Canal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Like I said above, moats are also called grachten, and moats do not typically have houses on both sides, so that can't be a necessary condition for something to be called a gracht.

      As a native Dutch speaker, I associate the term 'kanaal' with man-made waterways that are typically much wider than grachten, so a gracht is not a kanaal and a kanaal is not a gracht, even though they're both man-made and therefore differ from rivieren, beekjes, and (some) sloten.

    5. Re:Not a Canal by mcvos · · Score: 1

      Dutch has a lot of words for bodies of water. A bit like Eskimos and snow perhaps.

    6. Re:Not a Canal by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      It may be a gracht, but how is it not a canal?

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    7. Re:Not a Canal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      moat?

    8. Re:Not a Canal by src1138 · · Score: 1

      As second prize you win 50Kg of lovely Dutch liquorice for your sweet tooth. Enjoy.

      Yuck. I don't want to know what third place gets you.

    9. Re:Not a Canal by ecotax · · Score: 1

      According to story you linked to (thanks, by the way), it'll be built 'in the centre of Amsterdam'. Which makes sense, from a city marketing perspective. This implies it will definitely be over a gracht. Call a it a canal or kannal if you like - but I can assure you you're wrong in assuming the original poster didn't know what she was talking about.

      --
      "Money is a sign of poverty." - Iain Banks
    10. Re:Not a Canal by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      by language hipster logic.

      I guess someone wanted to have an excuse for spending so much time in coffee houses over there.

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      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    11. Re:Not a Canal by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      the picture implies it's inside a city.

      however, the article is written in english so it's a canal.. besides, by the definition of the word canal it's still a canal. it's a man made waterway from the looks of it.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    12. Re:Not a Canal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A kannal does not exist.
      I assume you meant kanaal?

    13. Re:Not a Canal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Linguistically speaking, the whole eskimo-snow thing has been mostly debunked.

      However, for those interested, I cam across this (Dutch) page (google translate). Apparently, there is a branch of science called hydronomy that deals with the etymology of names for bodies of water...

      Canal, channel, and dutch kanaal is from the latin canalis, while "gracht" is from the germanic graven (to dig, in English in grave and groove). Dictionaries are unclear on a real distinction between kanaal and gracht, but in my intuition in general a gracht is in an urban setting (including moats around cities and castles) and has a dual purpose of defense and transportation, while a kanaal is longer and aimed at transportation.

      Of course, both kanalen and grachten are also extremely important for drainage, where they are joined by the "wetering" (water-ing), which is a dug canal with drainage as its original purpose. In general, it would be dug parallel to a river to help drain the land next to the rivier, and would drain to a lower point, often a "spui" (spew) which would drain into sea at low tide using a sluice. A well know example is the boerenwetering (farmers watering) in Amsterdam, which used to run from around Ouderkerk to the Spui square in central Amsterdam. The water near the Rijksmuseum (Hobbemakade / Ruysdaalkade) still bears the name, and if you look at the map you see how along a straight line from the Spui to Ouderkerk there are still a lot of remains of the old Wetering.

      TMI, I know :)

    14. Re:Not a Canal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope. That would translate to 'slotgracht', i.e. a 'gracht' around a 'slot', which is another word for 'burcht'.

    15. Re:Not a Canal by leomekenkamp · · Score: 1

      You probably mean 'coffee shops'. You can buy hash and weed there and smoke it too. 'Coffee houses' are mostly run by and frequented by (former) Turkish nationals (men); the main themes there are playing games, talking and drinking coffee.

      --
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    16. Re:Not a Canal by Pro-feet · · Score: 1

      No, gracht is not restricted to urban setting. We use it also for any little creek dug (i.e. man-made) alongside the road, a fierce obstacle when drunk on foot or in the car... Where I live in Flanders we have them alongside almost every other road.

    17. Re:Not a Canal by Njovich · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'm Dutch. Gracht is just a type of canal ('kanaal'). There is no a linguistic or translation problem, it's perfectly valid to call it canal.

    18. Re:Not a Canal by X10 · · Score: 2, Informative

      A gracht IS a canal. A city-canal to be more precise.

      Nope. There are seven distinct things that in English are all "canal". In Dutch, they are distinct, different things. No Dutch person would call a gracht a canal. Nor a singel, vliet, wetering, sloot, vaart. It's as if English wouldn't have separate words for truck, car, bike, motorcycle, van, bus but rather would call each of them "vehicle".

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    19. Re:Not a Canal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, in the Netherlands we don't call these little creeks "gracht" but instead we call them "sloot" (or "vaart" or "kanaal", if they are larger and have a transport function). De grachten are restricted to towns (where they served as a passage way to the old warehouses to deliver the spices from the far east).

    20. Re:Not a Canal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm American, I live above sea level and in close proximity to food and water. People in other parts of the world think I am stupid because i don't even know how to print a bridge to get out of my basement. Let's call it even.

    21. Re:Not a Canal by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 1

      According to story you linked to (thanks, by the way), it'll be built 'in the centre of Amsterdam'. Which makes sense, from a city marketing perspective. This implies it will definitely be over a gracht. I can assure you you're wrong in assuming the original poster didn't know what she was talking about.

      I don't have your deep understanding of the GP's credibility and undocumented insights into the as yet approved project - so I'll take your assurances with the same bucket of salty liquorice I take the GP's language skills. Having spent a number years living in Amsterdam: there are central areas where canals (kanaals) are not grachts; nor your "intuitions" about city marketing, determine where the final location will be. Don't be surprise if it winds up being built in Oog - the prophesies of Dutch politicians and the accuracy of news releases from the marketing departments of dutch engineering companies are no more reliable than those in other countries.

      Note that the "picture" that another poster mentions is not a real picture.

    22. Re:Not a Canal by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 1

      As second prize you win 50Kg of lovely Dutch liquorice for your sweet tooth. Enjoy.

      Yuck. I don't want to know what third place gets you.

      Too late - it's 80Kg of salty liquorice and 10Kg of pickled herring. First prize is as much Dutch beer as you can drink.

      Mmm hmm beer. Best drunk after breakfast at a nice cafe (giggle, hic).

    23. Re:Not a Canal by jbmartin6 · · Score: 1

      This page is in English, not Dutch. Hence, it is a canal.

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    24. Re:Not a Canal by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 2

      Like I said above, moats are also called grachten, and moats do not typically have houses on both sides, so that can't be a necessary condition for something to be called a gracht.

      As a native Dutch speaker, I associate the term 'kanaal' with man-made waterways that are typically much wider than grachten, so a gracht is not a kanaal and a kanaal is not a gracht, even though they're both man-made and therefore differ from rivieren, beekjes, and (some) sloten.

      The technical term for what the English would call a moat - if it's not used for a transport, and it doesn't have houses on both sides, is a singel. As a dozen Dutch and you'll get a dozen answers. Most will tell you that if it runs through the city is a gracht. Ask a dozen Dutch kanaal historians and you'll only get one answer. I got my definitions from them, and a quick look at Wikipedia shows the same definitions. Any Dutch drainage ditch or river that's been "improved" is a kanaal - but most Dutch will give it a more definitive name. Just like the English don't point to any body of water and say "that's a body of water" - they'll say "river, or lake, or creek". I point to what I was told was a gracht and get told it's a singel - I say "everyone calls it a gracht" and I'm told "they're idiots - there's a castle on one side and a park on the other, and no tow path or moorings - that section is a singel". (sigh)

    25. Re:Not a Canal by Half-pint+HAL · · Score: 1

      As a native English speaker, I couldn't tell you the difference between a street and a road. The simplest distinction is pavements for pedestrians, but some roads have them too. What I'm saying is that all these sorts of categorisations are ambiguous.

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    26. Re:Not a Canal by rvw · · Score: 1

      Actually, in the Netherlands we don't call these little creeks "gracht" but instead we call them "sloot" (or "vaart" or "kanaal", if they are larger and have a transport function). De grachten are restricted to towns (where they served as a passage way to the old warehouses to deliver the spices from the far east).

      A "gracht" can surround a castle as wel, as in "slotgracht".

    27. Re:Not a Canal by ecotax · · Score: 1

      I don't have your deep understanding of the GP's credibility and undocumented insights into the as yet approved project

      I don't think I claimed any insights into the project, and it's not your fault you never met the GP personally.

      Having spent a number years living in Amsterdam: there are central areas where canals (kanaals) are not grachts;nor your "intuitions" about city marketing, determine where the final location will be.

      Living there for thirty years now: true, but none that I could think of would make much sense for this project. Admittedly assuming that this is partly city marketing.

      Don't be surprise if it winds up being built in Oog - the prophesies of Dutch politicians and the accuracy of news releases from the marketing departments of dutch engineering companies are no more reliable than those in other countries.

      Not sure what you mean with 'Oog'; maybe Oost, after your spellchecker 'corrected' it? But, no argument about this not being certain. We'll see what gets built where and when.

      Note that the "picture" that another poster mentions is not a real picture.

      Noted.

      --
      "Money is a sign of poverty." - Iain Banks
    28. Re:Not a Canal by kyubre · · Score: 5, Funny

      Being of Dutch descent and having chosen to live in The Netherlands for a number of years to reconnect with my (soggy) roots, it pleases me to no end that a Slashdot headline featuring 3D printing AND bridge construction, so quickly devolves into the nuances of Dutch linguistic syntax.

      --
      Nothing evolves faster than the word of god in the minds of men who think themselves divinely inspired.
    29. Re:Not a Canal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      *woosh*

    30. Re:Not a Canal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In Dutch, these are called 'sloot', not 'gracht'. The latter is reserved for canals in cities and around castles.

    31. Re:Not a Canal by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      it could've been a vaart

      Sorry, that was me. ;-)

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    32. Re:Not a Canal by X10 · · Score: 1

      Linguistically speaking, the whole eskimo-snow thing has been mostly debunked.

      I don't know about Eskimo's and snow, fact is that a "sloot" is very different from a "kanaal" or a "gracht". Still, in English they're all "canal". This means that Americans see a sloot or a gracht or a canal, and think it's all the same thing. At the same time, to a Dutch person it wouldn't even occur that you could use the word "sloot" for a "gracht" or "kanaal".

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    33. Re:Not a Canal by X10 · · Score: 1

      It's funny this has been rated "-1 off topic" while a lot of replies have been reated "5 informative", including my own. I know the topic was "3D printing of bridges", but it does refer to Amsterdam (my home town) and to a gracht which is not a kanaal.

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    34. Re:Not a Canal by X10 · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'm Dutch. I live in Amsterdam. It's not perfectly valid to call a gracht a kanaal. The issue here is not what the Dutch call our canals and grachten and sloten, the issue is that the fact that English has one word for a collection of things that the Dutch have individual words for affects more than just language. It affects the way people think about them.

      Again, read Babel 17 and you'll see.

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    35. Re:Not a Canal by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I have not been to Amsterdam in a very long time (the weed selection was not so good but I did buy some heroin off the street - it was very good) and my time there was short but I did get a long-winded verbal essay about the variations of canals (and the verbiage) in the area. Isn't what you are saying a lot like saying that a truck is not a vehicle? I was under the impression that they were all kanaals but that they were all different types. So, even with the word car, we can have sports car, compact car, station wagon, sedan, coupe, convertible, and more. (Anything less than a car analogy is no good.)

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    36. Re:Not a Canal by JazzLad · · Score: 1

      I have to say, I found this post refreshing (and I don't think it's offtopic, as it has a tonne of replies ... maybe we need a new +1 'topic changing') as I expected to see nothing but people complaining about how it wasn't really 3D printing. :)

      --
      "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." - Every fascist, ever
    37. Re:Not a Canal by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 1

      I don't think I claimed any insights into the project

      Then your assurances don't give me reason to think that poster has any more knowlege about kanaal terminology than the people I listened too.

      ...assuming that this is partly city marketing.

      My first "impression" was that it was the printing company doing most of the "marketing".

      Not sure what you mean with 'Oog';

      Eye Hospital "joke" from my Dutch partner (no, I don't "get it" either, another time she told my "viva la pipette" was the appropriate toast at ceremony with the French embassy). She also disagrees with me - but then she complains about "wireless", but says "you know what I mean" when I ask if she means AM/FW/SW/Bluetooth/WiFi or UMTS.

    38. Re:Not a Canal by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Still, in English they're all "canal".

      Except when they're ditches.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    39. Re:Not a Canal by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      If he doesn't want the salty liquorice I'll have it.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    40. Re:Not a Canal by Njovich · · Score: 1

      I'm Dutch. I live in Amsterdam. It's not perfectly valid to call a gracht a kanaal.

      Maybe you should send an angry letter to Van Dale that calls gracht a kanaal right in the main definition ;-).

      With your second part I agree (way of thinking and language are intertwined), but I was just responding to someone who said you can not call a gracht a canal. That is just plain incorrect.

    41. Re:Not a Canal by MisterToad · · Score: 0

      The Eskimo Snow idea may or not be true - - but it sure is a fun idea. The whole Whorfian hypothesis has been debunked by a long series of straw men.

      --
      Dick
    42. Re:Not a Canal by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 1

      If he doesn't want the salty liquorice I'll have it.

      Likewise. As with pickled herrings (accompanied by Dutch beer) it's something I've learned to enjoy.

    43. Re:Not a Canal by mcvos · · Score: 1

      I think ditches are greppels in Dutch.

    44. Re:Not a Canal by mcvos · · Score: 1

      Interesting stuff!

      Mostly forgotten today, but clearly relevant in the past, were distinctions between different natural, open bodies of water. Nowadays most people simply call them "meer" (lake), but when you look at their names and their shapes, you'll see a clear difference between a "meer" (big lake), "poel" (smaller lake, often part of a larger lake complex), "aa" or "ee, depending on region (long, narrow lake), and brekken (small, irregularly shaped).

  2. Q&A by ecotax · · Score: 1

    I just found a nice Q&A Page about this project.
    Weird about this on SlashDot first, given that I live in Amsterdam...

    --
    "Money is a sign of poverty." - Iain Banks
    1. Re:Q&A by ecotax · · Score: 1

      Oops. Weird to hear about this on SlashDot first, I meant.

      --
      "Money is a sign of poverty." - Iain Banks
    2. Re:Q&A by BlueStrat · · Score: 3, Funny

      Weird to hear about this on SlashDot first

      Amsterdam officials had intended to keep this tech under wraps until this test project was successfully completed, as they were hoping to convince US leaders to use it to build themselves a bridge to sanity.

      Sadly...[sigh]

      Strat

      --
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    3. Re:Q&A by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      It will never work, US politicians are too far from sanity to build an effective bridge. Perhaps we could build some ferries though.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    4. Re:Q&A by KGIII · · Score: 1

      We would be the first country to 3D print a bridge to nowhere. And we would be proud of it.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  3. Anyone ever swim in those canals? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    And live to tell?

    How many window-sitter prostitutes wind up in those a month?

    Can you smoke cannabis on the streets of Amsterdam? Hashish?

    Is there an age limit to smoke dope?

    Drink spirits? Wine? Beer?

    1. Re: Anyone ever swim in those canals? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      -there's a yearly city swim in amsterdam.
      -you can probably cont them on one hand - it's europe after all.
      -hashish is a cannabis-product.
      -there's an age limit
      -sure, it's europe after all

    2. Re:Anyone ever swim in those canals? by ecotax · · Score: 3, Informative

      And live to tell?

      Yes, it's not exactly clean water, but now that all houses and house boats are supposed to be connected to the sewer system for a few decades, it's definitely less filthy than it used to be.

      How many window-sitter prostitutes wind up in those a month?

      Zero-point-something. Not nearly as many as drunk tourists.

      Can you smoke cannabis on the streets of Amsterdam? Hashish?

      Sure, it's not necessarily a healthy idea, but it's allowed (and done a lot).

      Is there an age limit to smoke dope?

      Drink spirits? Wine? Beer?

      Sure, 18 years for alcohol/sigarettes, I assume for dope too, not sure.

      --
      "Money is a sign of poverty." - Iain Banks
    3. Re:Anyone ever swim in those canals? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1. No, the water is a fairly strong acid that will kill in 5-10 minutes and strip the flesh from bones in a few days.

      2. Prostitutes are dumped at designated locations throughout the city. The red bins are for prostitute disposal. Green is compost, blue is glass/metal/paper recycling and black is trash.

      3. You can do any drug anywhere. The incense in churches is the dankest of bud by law.

      4. No age limit. Basic bong usage instructions are given in pre-school.

      5. No age limit for booze either.

      To find out more, just ask your friendly customs agent upon arrival. The proper way to greet him or her is by grabbing their crotch and saying, "Hi, where's the party?".

    4. Re:Anyone ever swim in those canals? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To find out more, just ask your friendly customs agent upon arrival. The proper way to greet him or her is by grabbing their crotch and saying, "Hi, where's the party?".

      -1 I tried this, do not recommend.

    5. Re:Anyone ever swim in those canals? by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Re point two, they take recycling very seriously in Yoorp - the fines for incorrect disposal can be up to 250,000 Euro. So be sure to remove any jewelry, watches, piercings etc. from your trollop prior to binning.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  4. Venice of the north? by mcvos · · Score: 2

    I thought Venice was the Amsterdam of the south. And the small Dutch town of Giethoorn was the Venice of the north.

    1. Re:Venice of the north? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To cite wikipedia:
      The many streams, rivers and canals are crossed by over 2400 bridges, more than London, Amsterdam and Venice put together. Hamburg has more bridges inside its city limits than any other city in the world and more canals than Amsterdam and Venice combined.

      Amsterdam has about 1500 bridges.

  5. Just a thought... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now that it is possible to 3D print large high strength steel parts it won't be long until car analogies become directly applicable as arguments in IP-piracy/copyright debate.

    1. Re:Just a thought... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yup, because cars are just made of one type of material, and definitely don't have far more detail and small parts than a bridge. And a single industrial stunt also gives plenty of confidence for the lifetime of the product, for sure your hypothetical 3D printed car will last as long and cost as little as a Luddite car.

  6. Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by SlovakWakko · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They are actually welding the structure one drop of molten metal at a time. The energy expended must be staggering compared to classical construction technologies, and I'm pretty sure the resulting metal is seriously inferior to standard steel...

    1. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by ecotax · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You raise an interesting point. The article linked to in an earlier post quotes the robot manufacturer like this:

      MX3D says it can 3D print strong, complex structures of durable material, and that the new technique is more cost-effective and scalable than current 3D printing methods.

      Sounds that comes straight from the marketing department, which suggests that something built using their technology is, at the moment, a more brittle, less durable, and not as cost-effective and scalable as something built using the traditional way. On the other hand, they do claim this new technology is making progress on these fronts.

      --
      "Money is a sign of poverty." - Iain Banks
    2. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by serviscope_minor · · Score: 2

      They're demoing the technology on a well understood problem with relatively low requirements.

      3D printing is unlikely to replace bridge building any time soon: humanity has a few thousand years experience in building really good bridges, and the existing technology is very very well optimized.

      It will however be able to create structures that can't easily be fabricated by other means.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    3. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      production on site..
      is what enabled the first steel cable suspension bridges.

      what would be interesting is if this is still there after a few yeas, like, usually when 3d printing metal the atmosphere is controlled and so forth(which are what make it expensive)

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    4. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      They are actually welding the structure one drop of molten metal at a time.

      And in the demo video on the site the "actor" walks into the room where the robot is working and is not wearing and eye protection, and is only wearing street clothes. So much for safety.

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    5. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by serviscope_minor · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Well, the controlled atmosphere is particularly important for the powdered metal printing, like SLS and SLM. High surface area metals are flammable as all hell. You can set fire to wire wool with a lighter to see how well iron can burn, and powders are worse as they can floof up into a nice mist cansing really bad things to happen.

      Looking at the page, the robot tool end looks rather like a MiG head. This wouldn't be too surprising, 3D printing with MiG has been discussed and tried before and it's the easiest of the welding techniques. Very much point and click, which is great for automating.

      http://mx3d.com/wp-content/upl...

      That's from their website. There is a head with a fine wire coming out of it. The concentric thing around that is almost certainly the gas blower. This blows out some inert shield gas, such as a CO2/Ar mix for steel or pure Ar for alu, which provides the inert atmosphere. The atmosphere is just to stop oxidation and scale which prevents good welding: the surface area isn't really enough for fire.

      The problem is that mig welding isn't usually done outside since even a small breeze will happily blow away the inert shield, ruining the weld. I guess they could use a metric fuckton of gas to avoid that problem for light breezes.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    6. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Everything is 3D printing. To deny this is to be a Luddite. Food is 3D printed. Cars are 3D printed. Houses are 3D printed. Clothes are 3D printed. If it isn't 3D printing, it actually is 3D printing.

    7. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by Dereck1701 · · Score: 2

      "I'm pretty sure the resulting metal is seriously inferior to standard steel..."

      I don't know if it applies to this specific technique or perhaps even to the materials they are using but I've heard it said that at least in standard welding that the weld is actually stronger than the surrounding metal.

    8. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by jbeaupre · · Score: 1

      Because the weld bead is thicker than the surrounding metal.

      --
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    9. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      3D printing vs Apps.

      Fight!

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    10. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stronger perhaps, but more brittle - vulnerable to martensite failure.

    11. Re: Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Further, I don't see how 3D printing will ever reproduce the qualities achieved by forging. Big loss in real steel.

    12. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by Dreadrik · · Score: 1

      I guess they could use a metric fuckton of gas to avoid that problem for light breezes.

      Or maybe some kind of shielding from the wind and rain, like a hood.

    13. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1, Informative

      Less cost-effective?

      Honey, in 10 years places like Netherlands will have politicians screaming for a special tax on it to compensate for all the workers thrown out.

      The savings isn't in the manufacturing, where rolling beams out will always be cheaper. It's in the assembly and transport.

      Here, there was a phrase coined in the 1970s when assembly line robots picked up speed: "This is progress?!?!?"

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    14. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      One of the video clips showed a person walking across a small test bridge and it seemed to have a decent amount of give suggesting that it wasn't brittle. Of course without a full testing regime you can't really tell much, it could be accumulating damage with each stress. But at least based on a simple observation I don't think you would have gotten much different performance characteristics from rod stock you welded into a similar design.

    15. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by neminem · · Score: 1

      Easy. Just 3d print your phone, then install a 3d printing app on it so you can use it to 3d print more phones to install the app onto. (I herd you like 3d printing...)

    16. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It will however be able to create structures that can't easily be fabricated by other means.

      Exactly, they're building a bridge World of Goo style.

    17. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What next? A 3D printed skyscraper. I prefer the structures that I trust my life with not to be comprised of millions of tiny drops of metal.

    18. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      How come your user name is misspelled? Are you as dumb as your posting history suggests?

    19. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by bws111 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the savings are in transport, because the materials for 3D printing just magically appear, without being transported.

    20. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And why, if they want to showcase the "unique parametric shapes" that 3D printing allows, is it composed of straight segments? It looks like a lot of identical iron bars welded together.

    21. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, the savings are in transport, because the materials for 3D printing just magically appear, without being transported.

      Spoken like someone who's never been stuck behind a major piece of prefabricated civil engineering being transported by road.

      It's quite obviously cheaper to transport standardized units of material that fit on normal-width vehicles than it is to transport huge, awkward-shaped pieces of ready-made bridge. Don't forget, you need to be more careful with the prefabricated parts during transport too, because you only have one of each, and they're stupendously expensive.

      Whether or not the cost saving on transport makes it overall worth building a bridge like this is another question which is harder to estimate the answer to.

      You can probably make similar savings on transport by assembling a bridge by bolting together many small parts, in the manner of Meccano, rather than using large custom components, which I would imagine is also something that robots would be good at doing. On the other hand, the number of fastenings required for such a construction would add extra material cost, weight and perhaps additional inspection and maintenance cost.

    22. Re:Terrible example of the use of 3D printing by ToddInSF · · Score: 1

      I see something designed to be less wasteful and to be structurally superior to traditional design and construction methods in every way.

  7. Did they have an engineer check the statics? by Qbertino · · Score: 2

    Did they have an actual engineer check the statics, weight durability, corosion and weather/temperature resistance/durability?
    Or did they just have that artist draw different cute pictures of Rivendell-Style bridges and pick the prettiest/easyest to print?

    I'd rather ask before I break my neck and drown crossing one of these. Just saying.

    Aside of that: Neat project. This is where things are headed. I like the outlook of this.

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
    1. Re:Did they have an engineer check the statics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I recommend you never walk across that bridge. Problem solved.

    2. Re:Did they have an engineer check the statics? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Did they have an actual engineer check the statics, weight durability, corosion and weather/temperature resistance/durability?

      Why? We're building bridges, not sending men to the moon. Why would such a simple project require an engineer? They are just going to go and build it and call it a day. /sarcasm

    3. Re:Did they have an engineer check the statics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is disruptive bridge building! Engineers and other impediments of legacy bridge building are specifically not required.

    4. Re:Did they have an engineer check the statics? by ArcadeMan · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, they're going to build it and call it a bridge. /sarcasm

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    5. Re:Did they have an engineer check the statics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Why would such a simple project require an engineer?"

      Because these days digging a hole "requires" an engineer. Literally creating drainage ditches, a simple trench where water flows downhill, perhaps throwing a plastic tube into that hole and recovering it (drainage tile), often requires engineering to pass soil erosion and environmental assessments. That's not completely inappropriate mind you, having someone with a significant background in any kind of science/math double check things can help decrease the likelihood of some catastrophic issue. However I think in many countries (here in the US especially) things have gone a bit insane. In my area they're trying to replace a small bridge (~20' span), its been delayed for 2 years and is probably costing $200-500k because of insane "safety", "environmental" and "engineering" requirements. First off I think road engineers required that the road intersection a couple hundred feet east of the bridge (been that way for 50-100 years) be redesigned, probably to meet some strange state/federal requirement about traffic merging patterns. Then last year the project was delayed due to "environmental" concerns where they were pushing for redirecting a small slow 10' stream by somehow digging a secondary stream for the duration of the bridge construction, thankfully that requirement was balked at by practically everyone so it was withdrawn. They MIGHT finally start building it this year.

    6. Re:Did they have an engineer check the statics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Universities are very happy about this, they can sell you the paper you need to participate in society today... And the debt required so employers can control you.

    7. Re:Did they have an engineer check the statics? by penguinoid · · Score: 1

      Did they have an actual engineer check the statics, weight durability, corosion and weather/temperature resistance/durability?
      I'd rather ask before I break my neck and drown crossing one of these.

      I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

      --
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    8. Re:Did they have an engineer check the statics? by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 1

      I just hope they have a good QA department examine the .STL file for the bridge and find any unanticipated flaws.

    9. Re:Did they have an engineer check the statics? by X10 · · Score: 1

      Did they have an actual engineer check the statics, weight durability, corosion and weather/temperature resistance/durability?.

      What? Half the Dutch are bridge building engineers. How can they not check?

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    10. Re:Did they have an engineer check the statics? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Did you not read all the way to the /sarcasm bit?

      Also the requirement for engineering approval is based on necessity not insanity. For many years people have been doing dodgy uneducated projects on the basis of it being "simple". The 2m high retaining wall in my neighbours yard that collapsed due to not having structural steel and a footing that wasn't any wider than the wall itself is a testament to why even the simplest ideas should be run past an engineer first.

  8. Re:Not a Canal (except that it is) by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 1

    the picture implies it's inside a city.

    Grachts, vaarts, and singels are all kanaals. As cities expanded singels became vaarts or grachts. Imply what you like from a picture of a kanaal that has yet to be decided on by the Dutch government - but you're just guessing.

    however, the article is written in english so it's a canal.. besides, by the definition of the word canal it's still a canal. it's a man made waterway from the looks of it.

    Is your point that you don't comprehend what I wrote? I was replied to someone who insisted that it was a gracht (a kanaal with houses on both sides). Gracht doesn't translate into a single English word. My point, which seems to elude you, is that if, as the GP suggests, we should use the Dutch term, it's a kanaal (though it might also be a gracht when the Dutch decide on the location of the project). Kanaal does translate - to canal (same thing in Polish, Italian, Portugese, French and probably other languages). If you're trying to make the point that we must always translate foreign terms from foreign lands into English - you're being petty. Especially given the limitations of the "English" language - which is built from other languages, and that only a handful of Dutch don't speak fluent English. No need to dumb everything down to the level of the lowest common denominator (most of us speak at least some of another language - except, perhaps, if your from the northern states of the USA).

  9. Save us from marketing department by dywolf · · Score: 2

    Dear God, save us from the marketing department.

    --
    The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
  10. Save us from Gray Type on White by BoRegardless · · Score: 1

    A horrible read.

  11. Re:Not a Canal (except that it is) by dave420 · · Score: 1

    I'm not arguing but genuinely interested - what's Singelgracht then? :)

  12. Amsterdam is famed as the "Venice of the North" by cardpuncher · · Score: 2
    Not just Amsterdam. The list apparently includes Manchester (UK).

    However, as it has been pointed out before, for reasons that are not immediately clear, Venice is not commonly known as "the Manchester of the South"...

    1. Re:Amsterdam is famed as the "Venice of the North" by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      I have never, ever heard anyone call Manchester the Venice of the North. Not even a drunk Mancunian.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  13. Cool! by Tontoman · · Score: 1

    I can finally tell the wife I have a compelling reason to buy a 3-D printer for our house. It's great for creating construction materials.

  14. Hurray! by oldmac31310 · · Score: 1

    I had been waiting so long for another thrilling 3D printing story. Woo hoo!

    --
    http://www.acetonestudio.com
    1. Re:Hurray! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Winowd 8 (or was it 7) was supposed to support 3D printing?

    2. Re:Hurray! by LessThanObvious · · Score: 1

      I would not be able to resist the temptation to include an Easter egg in the design, like perhaps a 3D printed rat hidden somewhere in the structure.

  15. Re:Not a Canal (except that it is) by X10 · · Score: 1

    I'm not arguing but genuinely interested - what's Singelgracht then? :)

    A "singel" is a meandering gracht around a village or burrough, like around Naarden Vesting. Singelgracht is a meandering gracht outside the more well known grachten, which to make things more clear they called "Singelgracht". It's less confusing really than the gracht that's called "Rechtboomsloot". Which technically is a sloot as it doesn't surround anything, and it's narrow, but it connects two grachten.

    Read Babel 17, you'll understand.

    --
    no, I don't have a sig
  16. Re:Not a Canal (except that it is) by dave420 · · Score: 1

    Thanks for the info! I'm still confused, but slightly less so :) Dank je wel!

  17. 3d printing a bridge by jan_jes · · Score: 1

    The world going to end. As there is no man power(using machines and tech), there will be more loss. If everything can be done using 3d printing, what about a man?