CHENGDU， Sept。 3 （Xinhua） —— A 21。58-meter-long 3D-printed bridge of polymer composites has been unveiled in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu， according to the designer。

The 3D-printed bridge， with its widest part reaching 8 meters and highest point hitting 2。68 meters， is part of the 66。8-meter-long Liuyun Bridge， which spans Chengdu‘s Yimahe Park。

Instead of using concrete materials commonly seen in 3D-printed bridges， the 3D part of Liuyun is made with polymer ASA plus 20 percent glass fiber， which turns it tougher， stronger and weather-resistant， said Cheng Rui， head of China Southwest Architecture。

Cheng said the design team of China Southwest Architecture cooperated with a printing team in Shanghai， using China’s largest polymer printing equipment that worked fully automatic 24 hours a day。 It took 35 days to complete the 3D-printed part of the bridge， consuming 12 tonnes of materials。

“The combination of industrial-scale 3D printing with a landscape bridge demonstrates the feasibility of ultra-large 3D printing technology for future applications in both architectural landscape and industrial fields，” Cheng said。 Enditem