Japan Deploys Entire 3D-Printed Train Station

Incredible things have been happening in Japan. This is the country that gave us karaoke bars, sushi conveyors, and square watermelon — not to mention those high-tech toilets. It's also a world leader in public infrastructure, sporting wonders like the lofty Tokyo Sky Tree, the immense Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, and the 300-meter tall Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge. There's also the matter of the Shinkansen bullet train network, connecting riders to major cities across the country at speeds of up to 225 mph. Undergirding these dazzling public works is good old Japanese engineering, known for precision, innovation, and dependability. Case in point, the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) just announced the completion of a 3D-printed train station, which it says is a world first. Plans to replace a crumbling wooden station in Wakayama Prefecture were first announced on March 11, 2025, and the printed building was more or less put together by March 26th in the span o ... Read full article.