Communications of the ACM
Creating the Next-Generation Manufacturing World
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Autodesk have agreed to work together on experiments with design software.
Credit: George Kitrinos/LLNL
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Autodesk have signed an 18-month cooperative research and development agreement to experiment with design software.
LLNL will use Autodesk software to study how new material microstructures can be used to produce objects with physical properties that were not previously feasible. Complex configurations will be developed and printed with additive manufacturing techniques, material modeling, and architected design.
The collaboration initially will create lighter-weight helmets capable of absorbing and dissipating energy more predictably than traditionally manufactured helmets. Sports helmets, including equipment for football, baseball, biking, and skiing, are possible, according to LLNL engineer Eric Duoss.
By applying goal-oriented design software tools, LLNL and Autodesk expect to generate and analyze the performance of very large sets--thousands to tens of thousands--of different structural configurations. Researchers envision a future in which any product can be composed of customized materials that are optimally built on both a micro and macro scale.
"Giving the software goals and constraints as input, then allowing the computer to synthesize form and optimize across multiple materials, will lead to the discovery of unexpected, high-performing designs that would not have otherwise been pursued," says Autodesk's Mark Davis.
From Federal Computer Week
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