TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ding, Junhao
AU  - Qu, Shuo
AU  - Zhang, Shengbiao
AU  - Hu, Zongxin
AU  - Feng, Zhenyong
AU  - Gao, Tianyu
AU  - Fu, Ming Wang
AU  - Zhang, Lei
AU  - Panwisawas, Chinnapat
AU  - Chen, Wen
AU  - Song, Xu
PY  - 2026
TI  - Laser additive manufacturing of high-resolution microscale shell lattices by toolpath engineering
JO  - International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing
SN  - 2631-8644
VL  - 8
IS  - 1
AB  - Laser additively manufactured microscale metallic lattices show great potential for high-performance applications, yet trade-offs among geometric precision, structural integrity, and computational efficiency still persist. Here, we introduce a stereolithography file format-free (STL-free) hybrid toolpath generation method for laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) that synergizes implicit geometric modeling with optimized laser scanning strategy, overcoming these limitations. By circumventing traditional mesh-based workflows, our method directly translates implicit lattice geometries into laser toolpaths while precisely regulating energy deposition trajectories. This mesh-free process enables the fabrication of complex shell lattices with ultra-thin walls and enhanced surface quality. In addition to reducing memory usage and processing time by up to 90%, the method yields a synergistic enhancement in mechanical performance, notably improving both strength and toughness. By bridging computational design and fabrication, this framework enables the scalable production of high-performance microscale lattices and unlocks their potential for industrial applications.
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1088/2631-7990/ae01ff
DO  - 10.1088/2631-7990/ae01ff