Design for Metal Additive Manufacturing

This chapter explores some design frameworks proposed by researchers for additive manufacturing (AM). AM has experienced contextual inconsistencies in establishing standard design rules and guidelines, which is not far‐fetched from the inability to represent design criteria and compare it with AM processes and system performance. The chapter focuses on three major metal AM processes: laser powder bed fusion, electron beam powder bed fusion, and binder jetting. In the design frameworks for AM, topology optimization and lattice structure design were identified to be the most common and effective tools for structural modeling in the design process. The chapter also focuses on the mathematical workflow of topology optimization for mechanical and thermomechanical problems and discusses AM‐integrated topology optimization methodologies. Several AM constraints that have been captured are overhang minimization or elimination, minimum feature thickness, self‐supporting features, void elimination, support structure minimization or elimination, residual stress or deformation reduction, etc. The chapter discusses some of these constraints.