

–The first step is to define the “design space” that represents the maximum volume a part can occupy. Because of these organic shapes, the best manufacturing tool is an additive manufacturing machine to build the design. Often, the result is an organic shape, like something one would find in nature. In general, topology optimization programs enable designers to create a design that is strong, lightweight, and minimizes material usage. The software indicated where non-vital material could be eliminated from the design. With Solidthinking, a designer would define load information and the software would use a mathematical method to generate a design based on that data. One of the first topology optimization programs was solidThinking from Altair. Plus, the degree of physical testing to achieve an optimal design is reduced or eliminated by pushing iteration to the software side. It is a generative approach, so multiple design configurations are created for experimental testing without added design work. Topology optimization refers to software that takes advantage of the design freedoms offered by additive manufacturing.
