As part of the IPBU master's module, a modular bridge was designed, manufactured and tested for its load-bearing capacity. The background of the project was to design a bridge with a flexible cross-sectional design, length and inclination with the highest possible degree of prefabrication for installation on the construction site. The bridge was then to be manufactured on a scale of 1:10. Point welds were used to connect the individual modules. The modules were finally separated from the base plate and assembled. The connection was made using the point welds, which were connected to the neighboring module using a drilled negative. The package of 5 modules was held together using two pre-stressed threaded bolts.

As part of a student research project, a planar steel construction node was designed and manufactured using parameterized robot code. The project is a typical introduction to 3D printing with steel. The next step would be to optimize the topology of the node and adapt the connection surfaces to any three-dimensional load-bearing structure.

This student research project dealt with the additive manufacturing of a bridge as a scaled model for the subsequent AM-Bridge 2019 pilot project. Following preliminary investigations, the CMT Cycle Step welding process variant was selected for the production of overhanging components. The shielding gas used was a shielding gas M21 consisting of argon (82%) and CO2 (18%). The welding wire, type G3Si-WEKO2, has a diameter of 1.20 mm. Based on the low heat input of the cycle step process, investigations are carried out welding flat and especially in position in order to gain insights into the process flow and process control for the production of the bridge. Seam heights, welding paths, build-up geometry, surface properties and the homogeneity of the seam cross-section were tested in regard to their characteristics and predictability. Practical welding and process parameters were derived from this. Based on this, the feasibility and predictability of reproducibility were examined by manufacturing two bridge models. Finally, proposals for implementation in the AM-Bridge 2019 field trial were presented.