Variable offsets and processing of implicit forms toward the adaptive synthesis and analysis of heterogeneous conforming microstructure

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method for using variable offsets of implicit forms to design and analyze heterogeneous, adaptive lattice structures with graded thicknesses, enabling complex topologies and continuity between tiles.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach to lattice design and analysis using variable offsets of implicit forms, allowing for heterogeneous and adaptive microstructures.

Findings

Heterogeneous lattices can be created with controlled graded wall and edge thicknesses.

The method maintains continuity between adjacent tiles in lattice structures.

Demonstrated on several 3D models, including TPMS.

Abstract

The synthesis of porous, lattice, or microstructure geometries has captured the attention of many researchers in recent years. Implicit forms, such as triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) has captured a significant attention, recently, as tiles in lattices, partially because implicit forms have the potential for synthesizing with ease more complex topologies of tiles, compared to parametric forms. In this work, we show how variable offsets of implicit forms could be used in lattice design as well as lattice analysis, while graded wall and edge thicknesses could be fully controlled in the lattice and even vary within a single tile. As a result, (geometrically) heterogeneous lattices could be created and adapted to follow analysis results while maintaining continuity between adjacent tiles. We demonstrate this ability on several 3D models, including TPMS.