Production of Multi-functional and Lightweight Parts with the Use of Topology Optimization and Additive Manufacturing Technique—A Review

Topology optimization (TO) be a technique employed to fill the design space with optimized amount of material based on the satisfaction of design variables. The design variables considered dependent on material properties, load conditions and geometric details. Optimized shape resulted from the TO process may cause manufacturing complexities. Additive manufacturing (AM) is capable of building complex parts. Combination of TO with AM makes an exploration to design areas to produce multi-functional and lightweight objects. AM offers the certain advantages with TO like printing of parts with lattice structures and multiple materials. AM also put constraints like support structure and mesh resolution. This paper briefly reviews the advantages and constrains of AM in combination with TO.