Systematic Integration of Topology Optimization Techniques in Design for Additive Manufacturing Methodologies Applied to Automotive Settings

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is receiving a grooving interest for industrial manufacturing thanks to continuous technological improvements that are rising on the process reliability. Advantages due to the enhanced design freedom let by the removal of traditional manufacturing constraints interest of course product and systems complexity and performance, but also customization cost reduction, feasibility of production in small batches, Just-in-Time strategies, with reduction of waste material, energy, transport and storage. High-tech sectors such as the automotive field can exploit these elements, especially for high performance racing applications, research and development activities, prototyping of tailored parts. The basic idea is to re-think products by means of approaches focused on part functionality, but this cannot ignore the concurrent evolution of product developments systems, starting from design methods. The aims of this work are to analyze the current and forthcoming scenario of development methodologies for parts to be specifically produced by metal AM including Topology Optimization as a basic design step and to demonstrate that systematical design approaches can be introduced in order to better exploit potentials offered by AM implementation.The general framework composed by the main tasks to be performed by means of CAD and CAE tools is introduced and discussed. Topology Optimization is taken as the backbone step to perform product optimization and essential to compute the shape that returns the expected performance, according to a set of targets and constraints. Product Simulation is required to perform product validation predicting its behavior through computational analyses (e.g. Finite Element Methods). Part design is the outline task that affect the global process and CAD modelling can be involved in both input and ultimate model definition. These tasks can be managed independently by a general workflow or combined in sundry advanced approaches that can be abstracted in systematic methods for the design of optimized parts to be produced by metal AM. Key factors such as advance in different design solutions exploration, product and process related design constraint implementation in the design phase and method effectiveness in product development Lead Time minimization are presented. Linear and iterative workflows are described, considering features, decision making points, pros and cons, possible variants, research hints. A strong connection between methods and actual means is highlighted and workflow implementation using standard (stand-alone) and integrated (CAD based platforms) commercial tools is considered. Several examples coming from the automotive field are taken as reference case studies creating correlation between the described methods and actually designed components in order to demonstrate their applicability and to show results and possible further developments.