Interface Tool

The Interface Tool is combining the creation of Non-Design Spaces and Machining Allowances into one Tool. All functional faces (boundary condition application regions, stopping points, etc.) are selected and individual values can be applied to each surface region to create the according Non-Design Space and Machining Allowance.

Non-Design Space Thickness:

The Non-Design Space Thickness defines the Non-Design Space through an offset of the selected face to the inside of the volume. Therefore, it defines how much material to the inside needs to be preserved by the optimisation algorithm. The selected face will be exactly the same face in the result however the other faces of the created volume will be reduced a little bit to ensure a smooth transition into the bionic design.

Machining Allowance:

The Machining Allowance value defines how much additional material will be applied to the functional surfaces, which is post processed after the part is additively manufactured. A value of one is the default. If no Machining Allowance is required, the value should be set to 0.

Offset Distance:

The Offset Distance defines how much material at the front and back surface will also be defined as interface regions. In case of a sleeve for a screw not only the inner cylinder is important but also the front face where the screw head is connected to the part. This front face is also a functional surface and needs to be applied with a Machining Allowance.

Selection Choice:

If you have already created your loads and constraints you can apply Interfaces to all these faces simultaneously. Therefore, enter the respective values and go to the “Select Faces from Loads and Boundary Conditions” field. Here you can select all faces the Interfaces should be applied to.

Note: When the Interface Thickness ≥ Offset Distance and when any volumes result in a self intersection the Interface volume will be hidden in GUI. The optimisation will still consider the entered values and the Print Geometry will consider the entered Machining Allowance value.