Lattice Structures
Complex lattice structures are revolutionizing the way we think about high-performing components. With exceptional mechanical properties like high strength-to-weight ratios, low density, and incredible energy absorption capabilities, lattice structures
are paving the way for more sustainable outcomes in manufacturing and beyond.
Altair has advanced, versatile design solutions – including implicit modeling and generative design capabilities – to support the creation of highly
optimized lattice structures. With our cutting-edge lattice generation tools and simulation capabilities, you can achieve lighter, stronger, and more sustainable parts that meet and exceed mechanical requirements. Join us at the forefront of innovation
and take your additive manufacturing designs to the next level.
Altair® Sulis™
Sulis is a cutting-edge design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) solution that empowers design engineers to quickly generate intricate lattice structures. Featuring an implicit modeling kernel tailored specifically to latticing and a one-click lattice creation feature, Sulis lets users add lightweight structures to models and fine-tune their properties. Users can create intricate geometry at any scale, making metamaterial design a reality. Discover the limitless potential of lattice creation with Sulis.
Altair® Inspire™
Inspire (including Print3D) is a comprehensive solution that helps design engineers explore optimal design concepts early in the design process and understand changes that affect part manufacturability for both subtractive and additive (powder bed fusion and metal binder jetting) processes. By combining advanced optimization algorithms, simulation capabilities, and manufacturing-specific tools, Inspire is your trusted partner in optimizing latticed products. Get ready to scale up your simulation of additive manufacturing (AM) processes and explore limitless possibilities with Inspire.
Altair® OptiStruct®
OptiStruct is a powerful finite element analysis solution that can design and optimize the performance of lattice structures in real-world applications, enabling designers to create optimized parts that meet even the most demanding requirements. With it, users can generate detailed reports on lattice structure performance, including stress, displacement, and strain information. Users can utilize this data to optimize designs further, ensuring that the final product is efficient and effective.
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Lattices and Additive Manufacturing
Lattice structures are on the rise due to AM, which can produce intricate and precise shapes, leading to components with extended capabilities that are impossible to create via conventional manufacturing techniques. This manufacturing process allows precise control of the structure geometry, material properties, and part accuracy, which delivers optimized performance while reducing waste. Altair empowers designers to explore the limitless possibilities of lattice structures in conjunction with AM, optimizing parts for lightweighting, energy absorption, thermal management, medical implants, and more.
Implicit Modeling and Lattice Generation
Implicit modeling describes surfaces as a field that generates incredible design flexibility, extraordinarily complex surfaces, and massive efficiency gains in editing and rendering shapes. Sulis’s lattice module is built with an entirely implicit modeling kernel, which is a game- changer. With Sulis’s advanced algorithms and automation capabilities, designers can quickly generate and iterate on designs, which enables faster, more efficient product development. These factors will undoubtedly unlock the future of DfAM.
Sustainable Outcomes
Lattice structures and the associated technology of AM help create a more sustainable future, opening new avenues for innovation in product design and engineering. Replacing solid material with lattice structures can lead directly to less waste in manufacturing and indirectly impact energy requirements in usage and transport, reduced emissions, and fuel consumption. With Altair software solutions, you can create sustainable, optimized parts that will shape a greener, better future.
Unique Mechanical Properties
Lattices have unique mechanical properties, including anisotropy, stiffness, strength, toughness, and high thermal conductivity. They can also exhibit different mechanical properties in different directions, resist deformation, distribute stresses and strains evenly, absorb energy without fracturing, and efficiently transmit vibrations and energy. Altair’s software solutions are designed to optimize the mechanical properties of lattice structures, which help users create parts with unparalleled strength, resilience, and functionality.
Explore Altair’s unparalleled design freedoms for additive manufacturing
Contact UsApplications of Lattice Structures
Lattice structures have many applications, from automotive and aerospace to medical implants and consumer goods.
- Lightweighting: One of the most significant benefits of lattice structures is their ability to lighten objects’ weight while maintaining structural integrity. Lightweighting has become crucial in many industries because lightweight objects consume less energy and are more cost-effective and sustainable.
- Energy absorption: Lattice structures' exceptional energy absorption properties are another critical benefit. This makes them ideal for impact-absorbing materials like helmets and body armor; lattices help distribute the energy of an impact more evenly, reducing serious injury risk in these types of products. Lattices can also be used for vibration dampening and noise absorption in various applications.
- Thermal management: Lattice structures are also incredibly effective at managing heat. Their unique design creates a large surface area for heat dissipation, making them ideal for thermal management applications, such as heat exchangers.
- Osseointegration: In the medical field, lattice structures are used to create customized patient implants to fit the exact shape and size of a patient's unique anatomy, improving the success rate of surgeries and shortening recovery times. Lattices’ porous structure also allows for the integration of cells and tissues, promoting bone and tissue growth that hastens the healing process.
Featured Resources
Types of Lattices for Additive Manufacturing – Terms Engineers Need to Know
One of the advantages of additive manufacturing (AM) is the ability to create fine-featured high-precision shapes, and many designers have taken advantage of this and added lattice or cellular structures to their components. These structures can extend the capabilities of the part beyond what’s possible using traditional manufacturing methods. Let’s explain the terminology AM engineers use when referring to lattice structures.
Beyond Lightweighting – The Benefits of 3D-Printed Metamaterials
Multi-functional lattice structures utilizing metamaterials have the potential to radically change the future of products that we use in our daily lives and the way in which industries like aerospace and the medical field operate. There are many benefits to 3D-printed metamaterials that go way beyond common design for additive manufacturing (AM) techniques. Let’s look at the benefits of this innovative geometric design phenomenon.
Exploring Modern Soccer Cleat Design with Altair Sulis
Finding ways to optimize players’ footwear so it’s lightweight yet durable and practical helps players stay quick on their feet and deliver game-winning results. We’re big soccer fans at Altair, so we wanted to try our hand at developing our own soccer cleat that could compete with the modern designs we’ll see in this year’s World Cup and beyond. Naturally, we turned to our suite of simulation tools to get to work.
Using Additive Manufacturing to Quicken the Transition to Net Zero
As our world transitions to renewable energy, making an unpredictable energy source reliable proves to be a challenge. One solution is storage technology; however, being able to scale this up provides its own challenges. Exergy Solutions has found solutions to these challenges through lab and pilot plant iterations and the use of advanced generative design software, additive manufacturing, and agile engineering. This has helped our client prove their technology and quicken the time to scale up this game-changing technology.
