Additive Manufacturing (AM) has broken through to common awareness and to
wider industrial utilization in the past decade. The advance of this young
technology is still rapid. In spoken language additive manufacturing is referred as
3D printing for plastic material and additive manufacturing is left as an umbrella
term for other materials i.e. metallic materials and ceramics. As the utilization of
AM becomes more widespread, the design for additive manufacturing becomes
more crucial as well as its standardization.
Additive manufacturing provides new set of rules with different design
freedom in comparison with subtractive manufacturing methods. This is thought
to empower product driven designs. However, in the AM methods there are
process driven variables that limit the designs functions to what could be
manufactured. There are often extra steps after production to finalize the design.
Topology optimization utilizes product driven design where material is only
where it is needed to be. The design is computed without taking into account any
manufacturing constrains and only the design in the final application stage is
achieved. Topology optimization algorithm is explored in detail for two
algorithms. Then these algorithms are compared in case study I to gain better
understanding of the algorithms functions. Case study I consists of 2D and 3D
algorithms where a 3D level set method algorithm was written for this purpose.
The concept of designing for additive manufacturing is examined for
polymeric materials in case study II with a help of topology optimization design
software tailored for additive manufacturing market. The parts are manufactured
with different AM methods, examined and results are explained. The results show
an interesting effect of anisotropy and the manufacture methods effect in the part
mechanical properties.
On the other hand, process driven design and its concepts important as the
manufacturing method dictates, what can and should be done economically. Metal
AM process constraints are explored in case study III through accuracy studies in
metal additive manufacturing at laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology.
Accuracy and surface studies are concluded to gain a better understanding of the
process and manufacturability of metal parts. The gain knowledge is explaned and
examples are shown how these are utilized to make metal parts with tailored
properties and with minimal post processing needs