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For the optimization we define different areas of the geometry. These are mainly Design and Nondesign spaces.
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Intersections are necessary after each optimization to get the defined surfaces of the Nondesign spaces. These defined shapes are needed for example for the post processing of the manufacturing process. The intersection is done automatically for every iteration.
To realize a post processing of additive manufactured parts an Manufacturing Offset needs to be considered for the functional surfaces. This needs to be added to the Nondesign spaces and therefore to the Design space before an optimization is started. Afterwards it is very complicated and time consuming to add such an offset to the result file.
Tipp: Avoidance of stress rising on Design space boundaries. Sometimes it is useful to reduce the Design space a little bit for the optimization by subtracting an offset. The optimization is carried out with this reduced Design space. However, the intersection afterwards is done with the originally defined Design space in order to avoid sharp edges and thus stress risings. This way you avoid stress risings on the boundaries after you have combined your optimization result with your original design space.