Comparison of different cellular structures for the design of selective laser melting parts through the application of a new lightweight parametric optimisation method

Interest in lightweight geometries and cellular structures has increased due to the freeform capabilities of additive manufacturing technologies. In this paper, six different cellular structures were designed and parameterised with three design variables to carry out the lightweight optimisation of an initial solid sample. According to the limitations of conventional computer-aided design (CAD) software, a new parametric optimisation method was implemented and used to optimise these six types of structures. The best one in terms of optimisation time and stiffness was parameterised with nine design variables, changing the dimensions of the internal cellular structure and the reinforcement zones. These seven optimised geometries were manufactured in a Phenix ProX200 selective laser melting machine without using support. The samples obtained were tested under flexural load. The results show that the cubic cell structures have some advantages in terms of CAD definition, parameterisation and optimisation time because of their simpler geometry. However, from the flexural test results it can be concluded that this type of cell structure and those with horizontal bars experience a loss of stiffness compared to the estimates of the finite element analysis because of imperfections in the manufacturing process of hanging structures.