Bridging topology optimization and additive manufacturing

Abstract

Topology optimization is a technique that allows for increasingly efficient designs with minimal a priori decisions. Because of the complexity and intricacy of the solutions obtained, topology optimization was often constrained to research and theoretical studies. Additive manufacturing, a rapidly evolving field, fills the gap between topology optimization and application. Additive manufacturing has minimal limitations on the shape and complexity of the design, and is currently evolving towards new materials, higher precision and larger build sizes. Two topology optimization methods are addressed: the ground structure method and density-based topology optimization. The results obtained from these topology optimization methods require some degree of post-processing before they can be manufactured. A simple procedure is described by which output suitable for additive manufacturing can be generated. In this process, some inherent issues of the optimization technique may be magnified resulting in an unfeasible or bad product. In addition, this work aims to address some of these issues and propose methodologies by which they may be alleviated. The proposed framework has applications in a number Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (of fields, with specific examples given from the fields of health, architecture and engineering. In addition, the generated output allows for simple communication, editing, and combination of the results into more complex designs. For the specific case of three-dimensional density-based topology optimization, a tool suitable for result inspection and generation of additive manufacturing output is also provided.

Material orientation design of planar structures with prescribed anisotropy classes. Study of rhombic systems

“…The method described in the paper may be used for 3D printing, see the paper by Zegard and Paulino [10] in which alternative topology optimization methods have been adopted. The problem (23), (25), which is the key towards OOD, has similar mathematical structure to the compliance optimization problem concerning the materials with constitutive laws being dissymmetric with respect to tension-compression [7].…”

End-to-end process of hollow spacecraft structures with high frequency and low mass obtained with in-house structural optimization tool and additive manufacturing

“…Because of the complexity of the solutions obtained, topology optimization was often constrained to research and theoretical studies. Additive layer manufacturing (ALM), a rapidly evolving field, fills the gap between topology optimization and application thanks to its minimal limitations on the shape and complexity of the design [1]. The impact of metal 3D printing on the manufacturing landscape has become significantly more measurable within the last decade.…”

Topology Optimization for Additive Manufacturing With Controllable Support Structure Costs

“…This offers exciting opportunities for innovative designs, and particularly topology optimization (TO) has been identified as a key technique to fully exploit the capabilities of AM [2,3,4]. However, there are still geometric restrictions that must be taken into account.…”