Beyond 3D Printing: Multi-Axis CNC Machining of TPMS Geometries for Sustainable Water Generation

Beyond 3D Printing: Multi-Axis CNC Machining of TPMS Geometries for Sustainable Water Generation | 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 Beyond 3D Printing: Multi-Axis CNC Machining of TPMS Geometries for Sustainable Water Generation Md Shafikul Islam, Fatema Tuz Zohra, Bahram Asiabanpour This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6951280/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Sep, 2025 Read the published version in The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology → Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG) offers a sustainable solution to global freshwater scarcity by extracting moisture from the air. Transitioning from flat 2D plates to three-dimensional Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) geometriessubstantially increases available surface area and, in turn, the potential water generation rate. This shift enhances condensation efficiency, as 3D structures expose more surface within the same volume, maximizing contact with humid air. This study investigates the feasibility of fabricating. While additive manufacturing (AM) enables the creation of these intricate TPMS structures, AM processes are often constrained by limited material selection, suboptimal surface roughness, and high unit costs that hinder economical scalability. To address these limitations, this study explores whether subtractive manufacturing can serve as a viable and scalable alternative for producing TPMS geometries with greater material flexibility and improved surface finish. To overcome these challenges, this study investigates the feasibility of employing multi-axis subtractive manufacturing—specifically Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining—to fabricate a range of common TPMS topologies (Gyroid, Schwarz, Diamond, Lidinoid, Neovius, and Split-P) Aluminum 6061-T6 was used for its thermal conductivity, machinability, and corrosion resistance. Two machining strategies, unit-cell and layer-by-layer approaches, are developed using CAD preprocessing and toolpath optimization to address issues of tool accessibility, collision avoidance, and surface fidelity. Experimental results demonstrate successful fabrication of Schwarz and Neovius single-layer structures with acceptable dimensional accuracy and surface finish, while more complex geometries encountered limitations due to tool reach and excessive machining time. A detailed cost comparison reveals that, for medium to high production volumes, subtractive methods can reduce per-part cost by up to 75% compared to Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)-based AM, making CNC machining a compelling alternative for scalable deployment of TPMS-enhanced AWG components. Finally, the paper outlines the key technical hurdles—such as fixture design and cutter selection—that must be addressed to broaden the applicability of subtractive manufacturing for future AWG system development. Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG) Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS) Subtractive Manufacturing Multi-Axis CNC Machining Cost-Effective Fabrication Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Sep, 2025 Read the published version in The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology → Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Jun, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 26 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 26 Jun, 2025 First submitted to journal 24 Jun, 2025 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. 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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-6951280","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":477052818,"identity":"183782c7-0093-448a-a9ed-945cf8ea7a57","order_by":0,"name":"Md Shafikul Islam","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAz0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDCCAwyMDz5UIPiMDURoYTacccaAgYENopooLWzSvG2kaOG7kZ0gzTvvT+L8+c3PH3xgsJHdcICAFskzZzcYzt1mYGxwjM2wcQZDmjFBLQbHezckvN1mIGfAxmDYzMNwOJGwlsO8Gw7wzjHgkW9j/9j8h+E/EVqO925s5G0wkGM4xmPYDAwNwlqAftnMOOOYMdAvOYUzewySjWcS0sJ3I3f7jw81conzm49v+PCjwk62j5AWdHeSpnwUjIJRMApGAQ4AACEjSmxVsBuBAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6579-4029","institution":"Texas State University San Marcos: Texas State University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Md","middleName":"Shafikul","lastName":"Islam","suffix":""},{"id":477052819,"identity":"ec59be68-028c-4ac6-a555-db7e24330c6f","order_by":1,"name":"Fatema Tuz Zohra","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fatema","middleName":"Tuz","lastName":"Zohra","suffix":""},{"id":477052820,"identity":"f2ac4659-d246-4fd8-9541-425fa0175317","order_by":2,"name":"Bahram Asiabanpour","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bahram","middleName":"","lastName":"Asiabanpour","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-22 20:29:18","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6951280/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6951280/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-025-16430-w","type":"published","date":"2025-09-03T15:57:50+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":90827977,"identity":"13831e80-0d4d-4205-ad69-7b574642080f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-08 16:04:32","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1362788,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"IslamFinalManuscriptJAMT.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6951280/v1_covered_c476182a-4511-4263-936a-36a5a45b5903.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Beyond 3D Printing: Multi-Axis CNC Machining of TPMS Geometries for Sustainable Water Generation","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"the-international-journal-of-advanced-manufacturing-technology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jamt","sideBox":"Learn more about [The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology](https://www.springer.com/journal/170)","snPcode":"170","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/170/3","title":"The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG), Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS), Subtractive Manufacturing, Multi-Axis CNC Machining, Cost-Effective Fabrication","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6951280/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6951280/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAtmospheric Water Generation (AWG) offers a sustainable solution to global freshwater scarcity by extracting moisture from the air. Transitioning from flat 2D plates to three-dimensional Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) geometriessubstantially increases available surface area and, in turn, the potential water generation rate. This shift enhances condensation efficiency, as 3D structures expose more surface within the same volume, maximizing contact with humid air. This study investigates the feasibility of fabricating. While additive manufacturing (AM) enables the creation of these intricate TPMS structures, AM processes are often constrained by limited material selection, suboptimal surface roughness, and high unit costs that hinder economical scalability. To address these limitations, this study explores whether subtractive manufacturing can serve as a viable and scalable alternative for producing TPMS geometries with greater material flexibility and improved surface finish. 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