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Hello and welcome back to Oosterdam Day 5! Today was a shorter day than usual, so expect a shorter post.
This morning was the first in a while that we were allowed to sleep in, and being the opportunist that I am I did not leave my bed until noon. Today’s destination was the world’s first 3D printed bridge—that, and the company that manufactured it. We went to the Red Light District (and passed some very interesting storefronts) before arriving at the bridge. And I was very impressed to see that the bridge had no warning sign posted at one end, alerting passersby of a weight capacity or something similar. The bridge was able to host all 23 of us, and several other pedestrians without any issues; a testament to its sturdiness and sheer excellence in design, as well as the reliability of 3D printing in general as a methodology to make larger structures. I’ve had several engagements with 3D printers back at home, but I’ve only really seen them used to make small structures out of plastic. Compare that to this bridge, which is easily twenty times the size and made out of metal wire. Upon closer inspection, one can see the care that was put into making this bridge; the structure was printed out in foot-long sections, which were then carefully welded together. It’s proof of a rapidly developing industry that will allow engineers to design beyond traditional manufacturing limits. Such a superlative bridge gives me hope for the future.
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After finishing up in the Red Light District it was back on the train to visit the company that made the bridge: MX3D. We sat in on an informational lecture detailing the specific design process, as well as the groundbreaking technological advancements that contributed to the structure being made. MX3D boasts this unique robot called a WAAM (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing) that has the versatility, precision, and adaptiveness to allow for the creation of unique metal structures. It’s essentially welding disguised as 3D printing, which was how they made the bridge. The bridge also sports quite a few sensors, we learned, that acquire real-time data on a variety of things such as the strain on the bridge and the environment around it, which will allow the engineers over at MX3D to monitor its health over time. Not only is this valuable to make sure the bridge won’t, y’know, collapse, but I also believe we can use this information for the 3D structures of the future. For example, if it just so happens that the integrity of the bridge was compromised the most by the falling rain (which would facilitate oxidation), MX3D might consider biasing towards a metal that doesn’t rust as easily when making their next monument.
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The last thing I’d like to mention was the lovely dinner we had over in Overbraker Binnenpolder. (I know I’m not really supposed to write about the miscellaneous stuff, but my parents read these so I will be doing so.) The nonalcoholic drinks were refreshing and flavorful, and the dinner had elements of West-African cuisine. It’s worth mentioning that the Netherlands is a bit of a melting pot just like the United States, so Dutch cuisine is a little underdeveloped and doesn’t quite have the presence that other cultures do in this country. Wikipedia openly flames the cuisine, actually—look it up, it’s quite amusing. Our Zaanse Schans tour guide also warned us of Dutch cuisine, so we’re sort of staying away from it. Tonight was good, though! The peanut soup was a little controversial perhaps, but I enjoyed all 35% of it that I drank. The service was timely, the dessert was lekker and I’m already missing the strawberries. Oh, and Dutch word of the day is bio kola, a special flavor of fizzy soda over here in the Netherlands.
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That’ll be all for today! Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you tomorrow.