ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

The term "Additive Manufacturing" (AM) encompasses a range of technologies which add material, layer by layer, in order to form complex 3D structures.

These technologies were formerly defined as Rapid Prototyping and today commonly referred as 3D printing. Suitable CAD tools provide a support for the ideation process through the generation of several design alternatives. The geometric freedoms related to AM provide new challenges on current geometric dimensioning and tolerancing practices of the manufactured parts.

Design for AM may be considered an advanced methodology to fabricate customised devices with tailored mechanical and functional properties, complex geometries and architectures.

The research leads to the design of advanced and multifunctional devices, in the form of 3D solid, cellular, lattice or solid-lattice hybrid structures, as well as to the improvement of quality and environmental impact together with time and cost reduction, enhancing the product development efficiency.

Great efforts are also devoted to the development of novel analysers and models for predicting the build time and costs for AM. Topology and topography optimization, as well as generative design, may be considered as tools to implement the product development process, providing functional parts and devices, which may most efficiently be fabricated using AM. A biomimetic/bioinspired design for AM may favour the development of innovative products based on the extraction of novel wisdoms.

Keywords:
Additive Manufacturing; Design for Additive Manufacturing; Lightweight structures; Topology Optimization; Generative Design.