Understanding the Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Lattice Structures with Testing and Simulation

Autodesk has historically developed software and provided consulting services for metal additively manufactured (AM) lattice-type structures. Common powder-bed processes include SLM (Selective Laser Melting) / DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering), and EBM (Electron Beam Melting). When considering real-life applications of these structures, many assumptions are made about the characteristics of the manufactured material. Among others, these include strength, elastic moduli, thermal properties, material density, surface finish, and structural stability. These characteristics are affected by many factors, including machine parameters, build orientation, and feature size. This session features Autodesk Explicit Solver, Nastran, Netfabb, Within.