Load-specific lattice structure for additive manufacturing using topology optimization

Abstract

In recent years, the design of additive manufacturing (DFAM) has been increasingly emphasized, as additive manufacturing has received considerable attention as a key process in the future manufacturing industry. However, in reality, DFAM requires a significant amount of knowledge and experience in design and analysis to support the manufacturing process. In this study, thus, a load-specific lattice structure generation and application are presented for the general users of AM who want to utilize the benefits of DFAM (i.g., Topology Optimization(TO)) easily and quickly without an overall structural design analysis. “Building Blocks” are generated by topologically optimizing unit cells with pre-defined stress conditions. Stacking of the building block under a specific load condition can be mathematically formulated. Lattice structures generated with the algorithm were compared with structures generated with general topologically optimized structures. The elapsed time for the full structure design for AM can be significantly reduced comparing with the typical design approach for AM with TO. As suggested method does not require a complete understanding and knowledge of structural analysis processes and TO method itself, it is expected to be an effective solution for general users to take advantage of DFAM.