At the international 5th Symposium on Materials and Additive Manufacturing (Additive 2026) of the German Society for Materials Science (DGM), held from March 24 to 26, 2026, Martin Maier, a doctoral researcher at the Competence Center for Lightweight Design (LLK), presented results on additively manufactured lattice plate structures made from an aluminum-based alloy. As part of a project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), Martin is working on the design, manufacturing, and analysis of thin-walled structures.
These structures offer a wide range of potential applications, for example in medical technology, as heat exchangers, in fuel cells or in lightweight sandwich structures.
Metal powder-based additive manufacturing system significantly expands the LLK’s range of expertise
A key element of the project was the acquisition of a metal powder-based additive manufacturing system, which significantly expands the LLK’s range of expertise. The enormous design freedom provided by this system fosters creativity in the development of structures and components at the competence center. During the symposium, Martin demonstrated how the typical challenges associated with manufacturing extremely thin-walled structures, with wall thicknesses of only 200 µm, can be overcome. These challenges usually result in a significant reduction in strength and stiffness.
Picture: Landshut University of Applied Sciences
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