World’s largest 3D printed bridge

What is reported to be the world’s largest 3D printed bridge at 26m long has opened in Shanghai, China.

The bridge was produced by a team led by professor Xu Weiguo from the Tsinghua University School of Architecture in Beijing.

The bridge was produced in 450 hours and consists of 44 3D printed concrete units.

The structure was printed piece by piece, using two robotic arms and technology developed by professor Xu. Tsinghua University claims the project cost a third less than a standard bridge of equivalent size.

The bridge is embedded with a monitoring system that will record how the concrete deforms over time. This information will be used to further help develop the use of 3D printing for engineering.

Photo courtesy of Professor Xu Weiguo.