Bio-Inspired Lightweight Design

The on-going research is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of lightweight design by harnessing the transformative power of 3D printing technology, with a particular focus on advanced metallic materials. It seeks to explore innovative strategies and methodologies to create lightweight structures that are highly efficient and customizable for diverse industries, delivering improved performance while reducing material consumption and environmental impact.

The application of metallic lattice structures is a disruptive approach that enables the creation of lightweight, yet robust structural components. These intricate geometric patterns are instrumental in optimizing material usage while maintaining structural integrity, making them highly relevant in industries seeking weight reduction without compromising performance, such as aerospace and automotive. 

The goal of the proposed research is to design lightweight components by leveraging the advantages of 3D printing such as Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), Fused filament fabrication (FFF) and Digital light processing (DLP). Thus the proposed research is to explore innovative design strategies that maximize weight reduction without compromising the structural integrity and functionality of manufactured components. The following are the objectives of this research:

1. To explore and analyze the structural and functional characteristics of architeched materials for potential integration into 3D printed structures.

2. To develop a framework for CAD designing and fabricating  topology optimized 3D printed structures 

3. To evaluate the mechanical performance of topology optimized 3D-printed materials through comprehensive testing.

4. To assess the feasibility of scaling up the production of these materials for practical engineering applications.