Good find.
The biggest downside is that much of this is only possible with 3D printing.
For mass produced items, this is a real disadvantage.
I know "printed parts" are getting closer to mass production, but there is still a ways to go.
For more custom, one off parts like the satellite antenna bracket, then this is certainly the way to go.
I'd love to see more of these organic shapes being built and incorporated into new designs, but if that means paying 10x more for a product, then maybe I'll be OK with a cheaper version which is produced via machining, or casting.
AM parts have a strong footing in the aerospace industry now, due mostly to the weight reduction. A lot of structural parts have been given the nod for redesign already with Airbus slated to print 'tons' of AM parts this year. On the casting side, vanes, blades and blisks are starting to move in that direction as well with GE printing a lot of their stuff now vs casting, though I'm sure attrition in the casting of many thin-walled parts plays a part in that. Don't know if the implementation has carried over to first-stage stuff but these are interesting times in manufacturing.
The real winner from a production standpoint is likely in the ability to produce a single piece in lieu of a multi-component assembly. This requires a new way of thinking about design over old 'design-to-manufacture' pedagogy, for sure. I believe GE printed a single-piece fuel nozzle that use to be comprised of 18 components and has a whole division dedicated to exploring more applications.
Topology optimization is interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing the implementation CAD-wise. It's certainly pushing 'mechanical' designers to learn more optimized design. Manufacturability constraints have typically led to less optimized designs in terms of weight-to-strength...
Actually, some software vendors imlemented so called "manufacturing constraints" for topology optimization. So it is possible to obtain parts, manufacturable with conventional methods. Here is a presentation on the issue:
https://altairatc.com/europe/Presentations_2010/Session_15/SWEREA_Risberg/Optimization%20of%20Link%20for%20Different%20Manufacturing%20Processes.pdf
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