A Survey of Topology Optimization Methods Considering Manufacturable Structural Feature Constraints for Additive Manufacturing Structures

Additive manufacturing (AM) has made significant progress in recent years and has been successfully applied in various fields owing to its ability to manufacture complex geometries. This method efficiently expands the design space, allowing for the creation of products with better performance than ever before. With the emergence of new manufacturing technologies, new design methods are required to efficiently utilize the expanded design space. Therefore, topology optimization methods have attracted the attention of researchers because of their ability to generate new and optimized designs without requiring prior experience. The combination of AM and topology optimization has proven to be a powerful tool for structural innovation in design and manufacturing. However, it is important to note that AM does not eliminate all manufacturing restrictions but instead replaces them with a different set of design considerations that designers must consider for the successful implementation of these technologies. This has motivated research on topology optimization methods that incorporate manufacturable constraints for AM structures. In this paper, we present a survey of the latest studies in this research area, with a particular focus on developments in China. Additionally, we discuss the existing research gaps and future development trends.