Topology optimisation of self-supporting structures based on the multi-axis additive manufacturing technique
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Although additive manufacturing (AM) continues to gain widespread adoption, the overhang problem remains a critical issue affecting printing quality. The design of self-supporting structures via topology optimisation approaches has been extensively studied. However, current optimisation research predominantly focuses on 3-axis AM machines, overlooking the more recently developed multi-axis machines. Moreover, the performance sacrifice due to overhang constraints in 3-axis AM can be significant, especially in structures with small volume fractions. To address this, we propose a two-step approach considering overhang constraints for multi-axis AM. This approach begins with a structure optimised using traditional topology optimisation. In the first step, a new optimisation problem determines printing surfaces for the given structure. If the proportion of unprintable elements isn't satisfactory, a second re-optimisation step is carried out to further reduce the unprintable proportion. Several examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Notably, the significant performance sacrifice associated with the 3-axis AM approach becomes negligible when applying our multi-axis AM-based method.
Date Issued
2023-11-01
Date Acceptance
2023-10-09
Citation
Virtual and Physical Prototyping, 2023, 18 (1)
ISSN
1745-2759
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group
Journal / Book Title
Virtual and Physical Prototyping
Volume
18
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis GroupThis is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), whichpermits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been pub-lished allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN e2271458
Date Publish Online
2023-11-01