Colloquia

Summary

Lattice structures are increasingly used in part and structure design due to their excellent strength, thermal performance, and energy absorption capabilities - all at a significantly reduced weight compared to conventional components. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a key enabler in the production of these structures, as their complex geometries often exceed the capabilities of traditional manufacturing processes.

Traditionally, lattice structures are often composed of simple strut-based unit cells or formula-based TPMS (Triply Periodic Minimal Surface) cells. While recent advances in Generative Design (GD) offer new opportunities to automatically generate geometrically optimized structures based on specific constraints and requirements, limited research has explored its application in creating optimized lattice structures.

This research addresses that gap by proposing a novel design in which optimized lattice structures are created through Generative Design studies at the unit cell level. By defining specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that link the unit cell behavior to its expected lattice-level performance, this methodology enables the efficient selection of promising unit cell designs without the need for extensive physical testing of a large number of different lattice structures.

A practical application for creating lattice structures optimized for stiffness and strength was performed, where Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) was applied to print the newly generated lattice designs, and their mechanical performance under uniaxial compression was analyzed.

Ultimately, this work presents both the design methodology and its practical implementation for creating lattice structures optimized for stiffness and strength, offering a scalable and performance-driven approach to lattice creation through Generative Design.