Material and process characterization for coupling topological optimization to additive manufacturing

Abstract : In Additive Manufacturing (AM), a main material and a support material can be required to manufacture a model. The support material sometimes remains inside the prototyped model and is difficult to clean. Removing the support material results in a waste of time, material and money, which goes against the principles of Ecodesign, especially when the support has no structural function.This research work presents how a topological optimization can be applied on a part produced by rapid prototyping. Numerical simulation was used to optimize the inside structure and the mechanical strength was assessed to optimize the topology. This resulted in design solutions that support the use context with different functions. We more particularly worked on the correlation between the virtual and mechanical results to check the information. The Design for Manufacturing approach was used through different mechanical tests requiring the implementation of data through numerical simulation. The manufacturing characteristics were integrated into the mechanical analysis. The study proposes an alternative geometry through a design for manufacturing approach and a topological optimization applied to additive manufacturing.