Advancing Additive #13 – Taking control of lattice structure design
Lattice structures are an important element of design of additive manufacturing. They essentially give engineers a new dimension in design optimization, allowing them to alter the performance of materials. To take full advantage of lattice structure design, however, you need to have absolute control over how you define your lattices—and you need to be able to exert that control quickly.
NX 1953 introduces several lattice design advancements that increase the flexibility and speed in designing performance-optimized structures. In addition to providing new capabilities to work with Voronoi and hexahedron lattice fills, NX 1953 allows you to alter the pore sizes and diameters of your fills—within the same design. Then, you can generate a smooth, organic blend at the nodes and between the rods to eliminate discontinuities and reduce stresses and cracks. This is particularly important for medical implants, where the lattice structure aids in bone growth adhesion.
The new lattice features in NX 1953 greatly accelerate the time it takes designers to develop lattice structures. Reports indicate that lattice creation time can be reduce by 93%. As this video shows, the new powers that NX 1953 give you a extensive toolbox of capabilities to control your lattice structure designs. And that translates into additive manufacturing designs more optimized to achieve their performance objectives.
About the writer:
Aaron Frankel is Vice President of Siemens’ additive manufacturing software program. He has over 20 years of experience in the PLM software industry and has held various positions in engineering services, product management, and marketing – all focused on helping manufacturers take advantage of the latest digital design and manufacturing technology.
