Lattice Design Optimization: Crowdsourcing Ideas in the Classroom

Crowdsourcing is a powerful method of generating ideas, particularly when there are many possible solutions to a particular problem with no obvious process towards arriving at the optimum one. In this paper, results of a crowdsourcing exercise conducted in a 30-student classroom are reported. Students were tasked with using lattice design concepts to minimize the weight of a beam under bending, tension and torsion. Using the nTopology software, they approached the problem in three steps: (1) Selection/design of a unit cell, (2) Distribution of cell size, and (3) Optimization of the thickness of individual members. The first two steps were design decisions made by the students, the last step used nTopology's native solver. This work shares insights gained both in lattice design itself, as well as on the use of crowdsourcing in the classroom, particularly in the context of the rapidly evolving field of Design for Additive Manufacturing.