From Topological Optimization to Spline Layouts: An Approach for Industrial Real-Wise Parts

Additive manufacturing technologies have allowed the production of complex geometries that are typically obtained by applying topology optimization techniques. The outcome of the optimization process is a tessellated geometry, which has reduced aesthetic quality and unwanted spikes and cusps. Filters can be applied to improve the surface quality, but volume shrinking and geometry modification can be noticed. The design practice suggests manually re-designing the object in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software, imitating the shape suggested by topology optimization. However, this operation is tedious and a lot of time is wasted. This paper proposes a methodology to automate the conversion from topology optimization output to a CAD-compatible design for industrial components. Topology optimization usually produces a dense triangle mesh with a high topological genus for those objects. We present a method to automatically generate a collection of spline (tensor-product) patches joined watertight and test the approach on real-wise industrial components. The methodology is based on the use of quadrilateral patches which are built on the external surface of the components. Based on the tests carried out, promising results have been obtained. It constitutes a first step towards the automatic generation of shapes that can readily be imported and edited in a CAD system.