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Introduction
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted the Workshop on Exploiting Advanced Manufacturing Capabilities: Topology Optimization in Design as part of a workshop series on Defense Materials Manufacturing and Infrastructure (DMMI). The DMMI Standing Committee organizes events exploring issues regarding materials, manufacturing, and infrastructural activities relevant to military personnel, platforms, and facilities, as well as the manufacturing and industrial base for both the military and commercial sector (see Appendix A, Statement of Task). Addressing these issues is important to maintaining U.S. technological superiority; creating energy efficient, high-performance, and sustainable platforms; assuring a safe, healthy, and energy-efficient infrastructure; securing the safety of facilities and ports; and supporting the processes that provide the nation’s defense materials, parts, and products. Although the workshops assess these issues from a defense lens, informed approaches in these areas will also support the nation’s broader goals related to technological leadership, safety, infrastructure, and a robust manufacturing sector.
The workshop was held on November 19-20, 2019, in Washington, D.C. (see Appendix B, Workshop Agenda). The event brought together approximately 20 speakers and attendees representing physics, materials science, engineering, and manufacturing from industry, academia, and government agencies (see Appendix C, Workshop Attendees, and Appendix D, Biographical Information). Haydn Wadley, University of Virginia, served as workshop chair.
In his welcoming remarks, Wadley described how demands for novel materials and components for a wide variety of applications—from microelectronics to
large-scale structures—have driven advancements in topology optimization. While recognizing the promise offered by new algorithmic methods and theoretical tools toward enabling the creation of new, specific, and complex topologies, he noted that there remain barriers to fully realizing this potential. He expressed his hope that the workshop would provide a venue for exploring the state of the art in the field and help to identify future directions to overcome key challenges.
The workshop covered three main topics: (1) how topology optimization can incorporate manufacturability along with functional design; (2) challenges and opportunities in combining multiple physical processes; and (3) approaches and opportunities for design of soft and compliant structures and other emerging applications. The engaged speakers, panelists, and attendees highlighted recent research achievements and considered key challenges and opportunities.
The workshop was unclassified and open to the public. This publication offers a condensed summary of the proceedings based on recordings, slides, and transcripts.