Today I got to see the 3D printed bridge by the company MX3D in person. The architecture of it is just fascinating. The way it is shaped shows off the art of it rather than just being a standard bridge. We then got a group photo on the bridge that you can see below. Next we visited the company itself and received a presentation from Pierre, a junior business developer for the company. It was interesting hearing about the types of metal they 3D print with. In some ways it can be compared to plastic 3D printing but the durability of metal is much better for their projects the company deals with. This process the company uses is a robotic arm to print the metal out rather than a standard 3D printing box. When using 3D printing technology, there are a number of benefits. The benefits include flexibility, making bigger and more complex shapes, fast speed, and the machines are easy to use. 

MX3D mainly works with other companies in various industries to create parts for them. The process starts with a company showing their design to MX3D and going from there. This is a perfect example of the concept of customer ideas. Things to consider are the type of material, size, durability, and functionality. After the designing phase, the next thing to consider is the feasibility of printing it. Then, the company takes print parameter settings and toolpath planning into account. While the product is printing, they must control and monitor the processes to ensure nothing goes wrong. We got to see some of their printed work that was from other projects. I included a picture above for some of them. For dinner we went to a family goat farm restaurant. I got to try Dutch sodas and tea. The peach sweet tea was my favorite. Also, I was one of the few who enjoyed the peanut soup. Overall, it was a good cultural experience, and I learned the pros and cons of 3D metal printing.