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About

Maren Erven is a pioneering researcher in structural steel engineering, specializing in additive manufacturing (AM) and robotic fabrication technologies. Based at the Institute for Steel Construction and Materials Mechanics at Technische Universität Darmstadt, her work focuses on advancing Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) — a process using robot-guided gas-shielded metal arc welding to 3D print complex steel structures with unprecedented precision and automation. Erven's most influential contribution, "3D printing with steel" (2020), has garnered 93 citations and helped establish the conceptual and practical framework for robotic steel fabrication, including automated production of connection elements, stiffeners, and beam reinforcements. Her research into parametric robot programming for additive manufacturing (53 citations) further demonstrated how sophisticated software approaches can enable the production of highly customized structural components. Among her most celebrated achievements is the in situ additive manufacturing of a pedestrian bridge at TU Darmstadt, a project nominated for the Eurosteel 2021 Best Paper Award, which captured international attention as a landmark demonstration of real-world WAAM application. With cumulative citations exceeding 260, Erven's body of work is reshaping how the construction industry approaches automated, sustainable, and geometrically complex steel fabrication.