A comprehensive review of laser additive manufacturing (LAM) of metallic lattice structures demonstrates how advanced design strategies, processing control, and material innovations significantly enhance mechanical performance and multifunctionality. The study highlights TPMS architectures, node reinforcement, and machine learning-driven optimization as key enablers for future aerospace and industrial applications.
The growing demand for lightweight, high-performance, and multifunctional materials across aerospace, automotive, energy, and biomedical industries has accelerated the development of metallic lattice structures. These architected materials offer exceptional combinations of specific strength, stiffness, and energy absorption, while enabling additional functionalities such as thermal management and vibration damping. However, challenges in fabrication accuracy, defect control, and performance consistency continue to limit their large-scale industrial adoption.
A recent review published in Advanced Manufacturing provides a comprehensive analysis of laser additive manufacturing (LAM) of metallic lattice structures, focusing on selective laser melting (SLM) and electron beam melting (EBM). The study establishes a material–structure–property framework that links processing parameters, microstructural evolution, and mechanical performance, offering a systematic foundation for optimizing lattice-enabled systems.
Laser additive manufacturing enables the direct fabrication of complex, interconnected geometries with high precision and design flexibility. Unlike conventional manufacturing processes, LAM allows precise control over internal architecture, including strut dimensions, node geometry, and hierarchical features. This capability enables the tailoring of mechanical performance through geometric design variables such as topology, relative density, and structural hierarchy.
Lattice topology plays a critical role in determining structural performance. Triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures, such as gyroid architectures, provide continuous surfaces that reduce stress concentration and improve load distribution. Compared with conventional strut-based lattices, these designs can achieve up to 40% higher energy absorption. In addition, functionally graded and hierarchical lattice structures further enhance performance by optimizing stress distribution and deformation behavior, with density-graded designs showing up to 60% improvement in energy absorption.
Node geometry is identified as a key factor influencing failure mechanisms in lattice structures. Sharp node intersections introduce stress concentrations that can initiate cracks under cyclic loading. Introducing filleted node geometries with optimized radii significantly reduces stress concentration by approximately 45% and improves fatigue resistance by an order of magnitude. These findings highlight the importance of geometric refinement in enhancing durability and structural reliability.
Processing conditions in laser additive manufacturing strongly influence microstructure formation and defect evolution. Parameters such as laser power, scanning speed, and layer thickness determine melt pool dynamics, residual stress distribution, and porosity formation. Optimized process control enables the fabrication of high-density structures while minimizing defects. Adaptive strategies, including variable layer thickness and optimized scanning patterns, can reduce build time while maintaining structural quality.
Advanced in-situ monitoring and intelligent control systems are increasingly important for ensuring manufacturing reliability. Multi-sensor monitoring approaches, including thermal imaging, acoustic emission, and high-resolution optical inspection, enable real-time detection of defects. Machine learning algorithms trained on process data can predict defect formation with high accuracy, enabling adaptive process control and improving production consistency.
Beyond mechanical performance, metallic lattice structures exhibit significant multifunctional capabilities. Lattice-based heat exchangers demonstrate substantial improvements in thermal efficiency, achieving two-to-threefold increases in heat transfer coefficients while reducing weight and size. Anisotropic lattice designs further enhance directional heat transfer, with improvements of up to 200% reported. These capabilities enable the integration of structural and thermal functions within a single component.
Lattice structures also provide enhanced vibration damping and dynamic response characteristics. Their cellular architecture enables energy dissipation through material deformation, air movement, and friction at structural nodes. Additionally, periodic lattice configurations can be engineered to create phononic bandgaps, enabling frequency-selective vibration attenuation and improved dynamic performance in engineering systems.
The review highlights a wide range of applications in aerospace and advanced engineering. Lattice structures enable weight reductions of up to 50% in structural components while maintaining load-bearing performance. In propulsion systems, lattice-integrated cooling channels improve heat dissipation and extend component lifespan. In space applications, gradient lattice architectures enhance impact resistance and thermal protection, demonstrating their suitability for extreme environments.
Despite these advances, several critical challenges remain. Surface roughness in as-built components, residual stress accumulation, and geometric deviations continue to affect mechanical performance and reliability. The limited build size of current additive manufacturing systems restricts the production of large-scale components. In addition, the lack of standardized testing and qualification procedures for lattice structures remains a barrier to widespread industrial implementation.
Future developments are expected to focus on the integration of machine learning-driven design, advanced materials, and intelligent manufacturing systems. Generative design approaches and data-driven optimization enable exploration of complex design spaces, leading to improved performance beyond conventional engineering methods. Multi-material and functionally graded systems offer further opportunities to achieve tailored combinations of mechanical, thermal, and functional properties.
The convergence of advanced design methodologies, process optimization, and intelligent manufacturing technologies is expected to further enhance the capabilities of metallic lattice structures. These developments position laser additive manufacturing as a key enabling technology for next-generation lightweight, high-performance, and multifunctional engineering systems.
This paper, “Laser additive manufacturing of metallic lattice structures: material-structure-property concept, and future perspective” , was published in Advanced Manufacturing.
Sun B, Zheng, Liu H, Wan Muhamad Hatta S, Yang, et al. Laser additive manufacturing of metallic lattice structures: material-structure-property concept, and future perspective. Adv. Manuf. 2026(2):0006, https://doi.org/10.55092/am20260006 .
Advanced Manufacturing
Literature review
Not applicable
Laser additive manufacturing of metallic lattice structures: material-structure-property concept, and future perspective
14-Apr-2026