Designing Self Supported SLM Structures via Topology Optimization

The potential of Additive Manufacturing (AM) is high, with a whole new set of manufactured parts with unseen complexity being offered. However, the process has limitations, and for the sake of economic competitiveness, these should also be considered. Therefore, a computational methodology, capable of including the referenced limitations and providing initial solid designs for Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is the subject of the present work. The combination of Topology Optimization (TO) with the simplified fabrication model is the selected methodology. Its formulation, implementation, and integration on the classic TO algorithm is briefly discussed, being capable of addressing the minimum feature size and the overhang constraint limitations. Moreover, the performance and numerical stability of the methodology is evaluated, and numerical variables, such as the accuracy of structural equilibrium equations and the material interpolation model, are considered. A comparative study between these variables is presented. The paper then proposes an enhanced version of the selected methodology, with a better convergence towards a discrete solution.