While most people decided to use the late start time today to get caught up on sleep, I used it as an opportunity to plan a little detour for myself. At the last minute, I booked a stadium tour at the iconic Johan Cruijff ArenA, something on my personal bucket list for quite some time now. 100% a top experience for all my fellow football fans and did not disappoint one bit, especially for the price. During the guided tour I learned about the complete history of Ajax, way more than I already knew, and the core foundations of Dutch football. It really highlighted the cultural significance of the sport to the population of Amsterdam, as the players and icons are all held in very high regard. I also got to interact with others along the way just like me and share my personal love for the sport, something I truly wish was more prominent back in the states. Back in America, we have so many different sports competing against each other and the atmosphere inside these events are drastically different than in The Netherlands and across Europe. There is a far greater cultural connection to sports clubs here in The Netherlands than there is back home, as sporting events are overall held in higher regard here. Supporters are far more involved in club operations and therefore have much deeper connections with them rather than in the states, where sports franchises are often used purely as large-scale marketing tools as a way for owners to maximize profits (considering leagues in the US are far more regulated with financial caps as opposed to the Dutch Eredivisie, for example).

Back at the generator, the rest of the group was complaining about a water shutoff, so I guess I dodged a bullet there. However, I suffered by getting absolutely rained on once again without an umbrella (ironic considering the water shutoff right). I returned just in time for departure, having taken the metro to the stadium. The metro was incredible, so much cleaner than the system back home in DC and just about anywhere else I have been. I was extremely jealous and had a blast making my way to and from with it and would definitely take it again if needed. Ultimately, we then took the exact same train I was on to the 3D printed bridge shortly after, so my adventures on the metro continued on a little longer. On the way, we tried to avoid the infamous Red Light District, however I guarantee some of us will head back down there at some point in time.

It definitely did feel like a 3D printed bridge walking over it, as I could feel a little give when walking across. Regardless, it felt very secure and a testament of how far 3D printing technology has come. I learned even more about it when actually continued our journey to the developers of the bridge itself, MX3D, where Business Developer Pierre Freneau spoke to us about the bridge and how it was created, its logistics, and the company/projects itself. Around him were various 3D printed objects, including these massive pipes for plumbing, a chair, and even bike frames (I’d have been shocked if I did not see this considering the locals’ reliance on cycling). One thing that really stuck with me was how he mentioned the plethora of sensors underneath the bridge that recorded a multitude of metrics, such as temperature and load bearing. Of course, as the very analytical person I am, I was incredibly interested as to how this data could be used for future projects, but I was told the main goal as of now was to prove the bridge’s effectiveness to the general public rather than actually take in the data for future optimizations. The company’s main goal with this data is to prove their effectiveness towards the general public and enhance their company image. By statistically proving their bridge works and is incredibly safe using these metrics, MX3D hopes they have a higher standing in the Dutch (and global) 3D printing market so they can continue to better serve their client’s needs. I hope that their data can soon be used beyond this though, as I believe it can be extremely effective in discovering new techniques and optimizations for their forthcoming projects. In turn, I believe 3D printing can continue their sustainable trend upwards by being more efficient in the actual process itself, in partnership with these new techniques and methods powered by their previous analytics.

To finish the day, we all then headed to a park for lunch, followed by dinner at a neighboring farm in the Northwestern outskirts of Amsterdam. I continued the Dutch spirit by ordering a bacon and cheese pancake for lunch, which as usual was amazing. As for dinner, it was definitely an interesting experience to say the least. While some people indulged in the food, others did not (either by choice or by force). Nonetheless, it was a solid conclusion to a very eventful day and I was very satisfied with what I accomplished on my own and what I had learned while at MX3D. Time to go prepare for Rotterdam tomorrow!