Optimization and Additive Manufacturing

Optimization is a fundamental part of Additive Manufacturing. Material parameters, processing parameters, scanning parameters, support structures and the printed parts themselves must be optimized to ensure products with smallest environmental impact and highest efficiency and life time.

The mini-symposium covers all aspects of optimization methods for AM. Special interest is devoted to topology optimization for AM which can be said to constitute an ideal marriage. The topology optimization parameterization represents the ultimate design freedom realizable with AM. However, as in a perfect marriage, the partners must adapt to each other. AM methods must be optimized to efficiently build complex structures with e.g. high precision and little warpage and topology optimization methods must take manufacturing issues like cost of supports, infill, warpage, build directions, etc. into account.

The mini-symposium aims at providing a lively exchange of ideas regarding state of the art and future needs for optimization in AM.