Effects of design and manufacturing deviations on compressive properties of glass sponge lattice structures manufactured by selective laser melting

[Display omitted] •Bio-inspired lattice structures were manufactured by selective laser melting.•The effect of unit cell types on manufacturing precision was investigated.•Heterogeneous lattice structures results cell-by-cell and layer-by-layer fracture.•Three strategies for unit cell design and optimization were introduced. Bio-inspiration offers researchers innovative perspectives and methodologies, stimulating the advancement of high-performance, high-durability, and added-value materials, structures, and products. Inspired by the lightweight, high-strength, and highly stable glass sponges (GSs), five types of glass sponge lattice structures (GSLSs) were successfully designed and manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM) with Ti6Al4V. By conducting a comparative analysis of unit cell design and manufacturing deviations, we assess their impact on the compressive properties of GSLSs. Notably, the original GSLS with circle-/grid-like heterogeneous geometries exhibits outstanding overall compression performance, including stability, stress dispersion and unique cell-by-cell and layer-by-layer fracture mechanisms among GSLSs, which are attributable to their reinforced diagonal struts and heterogeneous unit cells. Hence, three strategies for unit cell design and optimization were proposed. These discoveries guide the future design and optimization of lattice structures (LSs) and offer potential applications for GSLSs in aerospace, biomedicine, automobiles, architecture, and wearable products.