In the selective laser melting process (SLM), components are built up layer by layer by incremental melting of metal powder with a laser beam. This process leads to locally inhomogeneous material properties of the manufactured components. By integrating these specific material properties of the SLM-process into a topology optimization, product developers can be supported in the design process by simulation. For this purpose, a topology optimization method is being developed which takes into account the unique material properties of parts manufactured with the SLM-process. In this homepage, the generation of a material database as well as the development of the topology optimization method is introduced and the impact on the component design is presented. SLM-Topo is a joint research project of the Institute of Product Engineering (IPEK) and the Institute for Applied Materials (IAM) of the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).
Features
- Process specific topology optimization for components manufactured by SLM
- Characterization of locally inhomogeneous material properties