Redesigning Dynamic components for additive manufacturing using topology optimization

Abstract

Direct digital manufacturing (DDM) is the technology that provides the possibility of producing the final product directly from the 3D CAD model without the aid of any additional tools. Additive manufacturing is the main element of DDM for producing end-user products. The layer-on-layer creation of the product using additive manufacturing provides a lot of design freedom. The layer-on-layer production methodology enables the possibility of producing products with complex and freeform geometries. The layer-on-layer technology allows the material deposition only on the required spots, and hence a significant weight reduction is obtained during the manufacturing of products. Complex geometrical structures with light weight are the greatest interest of the aerospace, spacecraft, and automobile industries. Therefore, these industries have completely relied on novel lightweight materials for producing lightweight structures until now. However, novel lightweight materials are highly expensive and increase the cost of the products significantly. Recent studies show that additive manufacturing helps in producing lightweight structures with high structural stability without the need for expensive lightweight materials. The complete redesign of aircraft, spacecraft, and automobiles suitable for additive manufacturing increases the possibility of producing lightweight structures with high structural stability. The generative design method created for additive manufacturing opens up enormous design possibilities, but the complete redesign of the aircraft or spacecraft would take a few decades. Until then, redesigning and replacing some aerospace components are the most efficient way to achieve the goals in a certain percentage. This study aims to explore the possibilities of implementing DDM for small and medium manufacturing firms by combining the advances of computer application software, topology optimization, and additive manufacturing. The main classifications of aerospace components are static and dynamic.