3D printing and robotics could be making a future together

The sciences of robotics and 3D printing are moving closer together as engineers see the possibilities in the on-demand manufacturing of everything from small parts to other robots, or even entire structures

While 3D printing is, relatively speaking, the upstart technology of the two as machines have become smaller, more sophisticated and cheaper its development is inspiring people to think big. For some, it started with the likes of

MakerBot, which manufactures 3D printers that have found a keen audience of amateur users. The desktop machines have proven a popular channel for taking the technology into the mainstream, boosting the ambitions of 3D printing's advocates.

3D printing has been deployed to help entrepreneurs build robots since it greatly reduces the cost of prototyping design, but it is also being proposed as a way to make manufacturing robots more versatile.

Dutch company MX3D is trying to make a name for itself by bringing the two fields together. It recently hit the headlines with a proposal to 3D print a small steel pedestrian bridge designed by Joris Laarman. Set to start in September of this year, the bridge will be printed in an as-yet-undisclosed location somewhere in Amsterdam. Printing with molten steel, as opposed to the usual plastic filament, will certainly make the project stand out. The team behind the project says its purpose is to print 'an intricate, ornate metal bridge for a special location to show what our robots and software, engineers, craftsmen and designers can do'.
www.roboticsforgood.ae

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