Large-scale 3D printed bridge

logo referentie CEAD Royal HaskoningDHV

About Royal HaskoningDHV & DSM

For this project, three companies joined forces to break new ground: CEAD, international engineering and project management consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV, and DSM: an international company focussing on developing game-changing scientific science across multiple societal areas.

The challenge

On a daily basis, Royal HaskoningDHV notices the pressure construction and structural engineering are under to cut costs, improve efficiency and reduce carbon footprint. Fiber-reinforced polymer bridges form a viable solution for this, as it’s known they have a longer lifetime expectancy and lower maintenance costs than steel bridges. However, the challenge here is being able to develop such a product fast, low-cost, and in a sustainable way.

logo referentie CEAD Royal HaskoningDHV

The Pilot Project solution

To face this challenge, Royal HaskoningDHV partnered up with DSM and with us, to build a 3D printed bridge. We ran a pilot project and built a prototype, designed by Royal HaskoningDHV, of the bridge. The prototype of four meters long and 60 centimeters wide, was built with AM Flexbot: a modular robot-based solution for composite 3D printing.

DSM contributed the recyclable material to print the bridge: Arnite® AM8527 (G) fused granulate fabrication (FGF) material. According to Patrick Duis, Segment Leader at DSM, these bridges can be more sustainable and offer greater flexibility in design, using recyclable materials.

Result

As a result, one of the first bridges in the world is built in this sustainable, cost-effective, and time-efficient way. During the development, only the needed amount of material is used which reduces waste, the need for stock, and transport costs. Moreover, because of the fast construction process of 3D printing, this project shows the time to market can be improved tremendously: the construction time is speeded up by weeks.

Market:

Infrastructure

CEAD Solution:

Material:

Arnite® AM8527 (G) fused granulate fabrication (FGF) material

Date:

2020

Why CEAD

CEAD enables companies to construct – print – large-scale fiber reinforced thermoplastic parts in a fast and sustainable way. This reduces time and costs on all levels of construction as well as the impact on the environment.