3D Printing & Topology Optimization (TO) in ABAQUS

Imagine you can build a beautiful and mathematically optimized shapes! like a bookshelf or even a table! Well, this course you will help you to do that.

In few words, topology optimization is "removing materials where we need them the least". This mathematical & engineering concept usually produce shapes that are usually difficult to manufacture using conventional methods. However, with the rise of 3D printing, many of the optimized shapes can be easily 3D printed. This is why topology optimization is increasingly used by engineers, architects, and even hobbyists around the world.

In this mini course, you will learn basic concepts in topology optimization and 3D printing. This course will help you get started in this marvelous field.

In the first part, you will learn topology optimization basic concept and mathematical formulation. This is where we talk about objective functions and constraints functions. You will then learn how to apply topology optimization in ABAQUS using the TOSCA module. You will be optimizing a bridge which then will be 3D printed.

In the second part, I will do an overview about 3D printing and its various techniques (FDM, SLA, and SLS). In this part, you will also learn the how to create a gcode or toolpath for the optimized bridge using a slicer. We will finally learn how to 3D print the optimized bridge.