An Overview of Additive Manufacturing of Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) Structures

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) are mathematically defined structures with zero mean curvature, repeating periodically along three axes.
• TPMS offer tunable relative density, efficient load transfer, and high surface area-to-volume ratios.
• Additive manufacturing (AM) advancements facilitate the fabrication of complex TPMS architectures for diverse applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of major TPMS structures and their fabrication via AM.
• To critically evaluate the impact of geometric design, relative density, and post-processing on TPMS performance.
• To discuss recent advancements in graded/hybrid TPMS and identify future research directions.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of TPMS structures and additive manufacturing techniques.
• Analysis of geometric design, relative density, and post-processing effects on mechanical and thermal properties.
• Exploration of graded and hybrid TPMS concepts.

Main Results:

• TPMS structures exhibit significant functional adjustability, improved load transfer, and enhanced specific energy absorption (SEA).
• AM enables the creation of TPMS as architected materials integrating biological, thermal, and mechanical functions.
• Geometric design, relative density, and post-processing critically influence mechanical and thermal performance.

Conclusions:

• TPMS are promising architected materials for advanced applications due to their unique properties and AM fabricability.
• Further research is needed in multi-material AM and data-driven topology optimization for TPMS.
• Graded and hybrid TPMS offer potential for enhanced multi-functional performance.