Topology-Optimized 3D Infill Generation Using the Ground Structure Method for Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing

Topology-Optimized 3D Infill Generation Using the Ground Structure Method for Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Topology-Optimized 3D Infill Generation Using the Ground Structure Method for Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing Shadman Tajwar Shahid, Md. Mahidul Alam This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9323486/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This paper presents a Ground Structure Method (GSM)-based topology optimization framework to create optimized 3D infill structures tailored to material extrusion additive manufacturing. The infill is considered a closed lattice structure and modeled as a pin-jointed truss. Multiple meshing techniques are investigated to embed the lattice within an arbitrary geometry, producing a skin-lattice structure that serves as both the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) mesh and the infill geometry. A size optimization algorithm based on the Method of Moving Asymptotes (MMA) adjusts strut thicknesses to maximize rigidity. To translate the optimized structure into a printable form, a rasterization-based slicer is introduced, which directly converts the intersections between slicing planes and the FEA mesh into 2D bitmaps, with the contour at each layer mapped to the optimized truss thicknesses. Lastly, an image-to-toolpath process automatically generates the machine files from bitmaps. The method's generality is demonstrated through numerical simulations and printed examples for both 2D and 3D cases. Additionally, experiments show an improvement in stiffness of topology-optimized structures compared to uniform infill structures. Materials Theory and Modeling Topology Optimization Finite Element Analysis Ground Structure Method Fused Deposition Modelling Closed Cell Lattice Skin-Lattice Structure Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9323486","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":617673089,"identity":"e168b85d-5f98-4a6c-855e-0a65aae1e531","order_by":0,"name":"Shadman Tajwar Shahid","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAv0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACHgZmBgNmORCTGYgZG4jVYszARpoWBubEBqK1yPefPfi5oMA6fe38ZiCDwUZ2wwECWgxu5CVLzzBIz912jA3IYEgzJqxFgsdAmsfgMFALjxkzD8PhRIJa5PvPGP8Gakk3O8b/DajlP2EtDAdyzEC2JJgd42EDajlAWIvBjRwzax6DdMNtx9KMgXqTjWcS47DbPH+s5c0OH374mafCTraPoMPQLCVN+SgYBaNgFIwCHAAAufs8zhqYoSsAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Military Institute of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shadman","middleName":"Tajwar","lastName":"Shahid","suffix":""},{"id":617673090,"identity":"fb20610d-4920-4ce1-a41e-77ef634e7f98","order_by":1,"name":"Md. 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The infill is considered a closed lattice structure and modeled as a pin-jointed truss. \u0026nbsp;Multiple meshing techniques are investigated to embed the lattice within an arbitrary geometry, \u0026nbsp;producing a skin-lattice structure that serves as both the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) mesh and \u0026nbsp;the infill geometry. \u0026nbsp;A size optimization algorithm based on the Method of Moving Asymptotes \u0026nbsp;(MMA) adjusts strut thicknesses to maximize rigidity. To translate the optimized structure into a \u0026nbsp;printable form, a rasterization-based slicer is introduced, which directly converts the intersections \u0026nbsp;between slicing planes and the FEA mesh into 2D bitmaps, with the contour at each layer mapped \u0026nbsp;to the optimized truss thicknesses. Lastly, an image-to-toolpath process automatically generates \u0026nbsp;the machine files from bitmaps. The method's generality is demonstrated through numerical \u0026nbsp;simulations and printed examples for both 2D and 3D cases. 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