Comparison of some approaches to define a CAD model from topological optimization in design for additive manufacturing.

Topological optimization is often used in the design of light-weight structures. Additive manufacturing allows to manufacture complex shapes and exploits the full potential of this tool. However, topology optimization results is a discrete representation of the optimal topology, requiring the designers to 'manually' create a CAD model. This process can be very time consuming, and hardly penalizes the design process efficiency. In this paper, several possible approaches to get a CAD model from the topological optimization results are proposed. From case studies, benefits and drawbacks of these approaches are discussed in order to help engineers in the choice of their approach.