Algorithm-Driven Truss Topology Optimization for Additive Manufacturing

Since Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques allow the manufacture of  complex-shaped structures the combination of lightweight construction,  topology optimization, and AM is of significant interest. Besides the  established continuum topology optimization methods, less attention is  paid to algorithm-driven optimization based on linear optimization,  which can also be used for topology optimization of truss-like  structures.
To overcome this shortcoming, we combined linear  optimization, Computer-Aided Design (CAD), numerical shape optimization,  and numerical simulation into an algorithm-driven product design  process for additively manufactured truss-like structures. With our  Ansys SpaceClaim add-in construcTOR, which is capable of obtaining  ready-for-machine-interpretation CAD data of truss-like structures out  of raw mathematical optimization data, the high performance of  (heuristic-based) optimization algorithms implemented in linear  programming software is now available to the CAD community.