Farsoon metal printing supports hydraulic components for the Pinglu Canal
Integrated cushioning sleeves bring additive manufacturing into large waterway infrastructure.
What happened
Farsoon’s September report describes printed hydraulic cushioning sleeves for the Pinglu Canal’s ship-lock system. A Wuhan University of Technology team used metal additive manufacturing to create complex internal flow paths.
Two sleeve configurations were produced as integrated components on a four-laser FS350M. Their labyrinth geometry is intended to help large hydraulic valves slow smoothly near the end of travel.
The technology passed acceptance testing in 2025, according to Farsoon; the September 2026 article reports its infrastructure application as the canal opened. This is a component-level use of printing within a much larger construction project, rather than a claim that the canal itself was printed.
Read the sources
Primary-source reporting; this is not a hands-on review. Sources checked Oct 24, 2026.