Additive Manufacturing: Lattice and minimal surface design using nTopology

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing is considered to be the chosen method for manufacturing complex and intricate shapes. Its increasing and widespread adoption is a measure of suitability for a wide range of industrial sector uses. As a result, this study looks at the characteristics and capabilities of nTopology, a one-of-a-kind software. This tool is exceptionally fast when it comes to creating and modifying complicated lattice structures and minimal surfaces. Because this software is still relatively new in the field of CAD modeling, this thesis gives an insight into its capabilities and applications in the context of additive manufacturing.

To do so, a jet engine bracket from GE has been topology optimized using nTopology’s overhang constraint for additive manufacturing and different cases are compared. Also, a light-weighting operation was conducted on the bottom part of a plummer block that was shelled and the inner hollow area filled with a lattice structure that variates the beam thickness and therefore the amount of material generated through the part based on static analysis.

The results show what current design software is capable of accomplishing. A great weight reduction of 70% in mass and almost 90% of reduced support material needed was discovered while operating the topology optimization with the additional constraint. The results of static analysis on the plummer block were transformed and inserted into the light-weighting operation which created a very fast and accurate material distribution of the material in areas where it is needed only.

The great variety of designing possibilities, options and fast running software that nTopology offered during this study emphasizes the impact design for additive manufacturing tools can have on future designs and companies' long-term competitiveness.