Overhanging Constraints in Addivitive Manufacturing Using Two Different Tools

Topology optimization is widely used as a design tool for advanced application in mechanical, aerospace and automotive industries. This technique offers an optimal distribution of a predetermined amount of material in a given design space. In the last years, a lot of efforts has been invested into the development of high performance methods such as homogenization, SIMP or BESO. However as the state of the art in manufacturing experiences evolution, a coupling between topology optimization and additive manufacturing is needed. Additive manufacturing has numerous advantages that fits the characteristics of topology optimized designs. It can manufacture highly complex design without high cost increase and furthermore continuous density material of the SIMP method could be manufactured by lattice structures. With all the opportunities given by the additive manufacturing the urge to bind the last one to topology optimization is heavily required. Specific constraints related to manufacturing issues have to be taken into account such as the need of supports structures to ensure a good heat evacuation during the manufacturing process, as well as to hold up overhanging section. Some researches have been done to try to include this constraint in the optimization problem such as Leary and al or Andrew T. Gaynor. However this work focuses on 2 different methods (projection scheme and mechanical approach) to tackle the overhanging problem and compare them .