Dutch students 3D print bike fit for Spiderman [video]

Just as a spider web looks deceivingly delicate, this incredible 3D-printed bike created by students at Delft University of Technology is sure to raise a few eyebrows, yet it’s strong enough to serve the purposes of a superhero should his webbing mechanism go on the fritz. The process is known as Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing, or WAAM. It’s a specialty of MX3D, whom you may remember for their 3D printed steel bridge project. They’ve developed a fascinating technology that involves using giant, multi-axis robotic arms as 3D printers, allowing for metal and resin materials to actually be printed in mid-air, without any need for support structures. MX3D invited the student team to design something that would demonstrate their technology as part of a research project into the WAAM method. Creating bridges with the same software is the ultimate goal, but a bike is the way to garner attention in the Netherlands. It’s both surprisingly lightweight and able to smoothly negotiate cobblestone streets, which is no easy task. Check it out in action below:

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