Self-Supporting Structure Technology in 3D Printing Applications

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-986-5_3How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Self-supporting structures; 3D Printing; Thrust Network Analysis; Parametric and Intelligent Optimization

Abstract

In recent years, with the rapid development of additive manufacturing technology, the design and manufacture of self-supporting structures have entered a brand-new stage, which significantly reduces the dependence on support materials through the layer-by-layer molding characteristics, opening up a new path for the lightweight and efficient production of complex geometric structures. This paper systematically reviews the research progress of self-supporting structures. At the level of mechanical analysis, methods such as Thrust Network Analysis (TNA), Force Density Method (FDM) and Extended Limit Analysis (ELA), and discrete homogenization are used to optimize the structural compression and tension balance through numerical models. Algorithmic techniques such as parametric design, automated mesh generation, and artificial intelligence optimization fuel the realization of more complex and refined designs of structures. In addition, some engineering ideas of self-supporting structures also provide technical references for fields such as 3D printing, demonstrating their potential in the manufacturing field. Topology optimization, as a major research hotspot in additive manufacturing, also provides an important technical basis for the realization of self-supporting structures. Despite the many advances in self-supporting structure technology, it still faces challenges such as high computational cost, limited manufacturing accuracy, and difficulty in modeling the nonlinear behavior of materials.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Yuchen Qian
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/18
TI  - Self-Supporting Structure Technology in 3D Printing Applications
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Electronics, Electrical and Grid Technology (ICEEGT 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 17
EP  - 25
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-986-5_3
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-986-5_3
ID  - Qian2026
ER  -