Analysis on Common Manufacturing Defects and Related Issues of Lattice Structures in 3D Printing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/cb9ff080Keywords:
Additive manufacturing, lattice structures, manufacturing defects, porosity, lack of fusion, dimensional accuracyAbstract
Lattice structures have been used to construct some of the light-weight, high-surface-area and mechanically-adaptable parts of additive manufacturing. However, the complex shape of these parts is also more prone to manufacturing defects such as porosity, lack of fusion, dimensional deviation, strut waviness, surface roughness and poor interlayer bonding. This paper introduces the main kinds of defects in 3D-printed lattice structures and analyzes the problems they cause to the mechanical properties, fatigue life and design reliability of such structures. Many of the lattice failures have been caused by the combined effect of geometry, process parameters and material behaviour during printing, not by design problems alone. According to the latest research on defect characterization, numerical modelling and machine learning for defect reduction have been applied to pinpointing frequent production problems and their expanded influence on quality control and structural performance. Therefore, to obtain defect-free lattice structures, integrated control at all stages of design, process supervision and post-processing is needed, and a single solution is insufficient.
Downloads
References
[1] Anonymous. (2023). Mechanical performance of three-dimensional printed lattice structures: Assembled versus direct print. 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, 10(2), 256–268. https://doi.org/10.1089/3dp.2022.0168
[2] Anonymous. (2024). Characterisation of process-induced defects in polymeric strut-based lattice structures produced by powder bed fusion additive manufacturing process [Preprint]. Additive Manufacturing Research.
[3] Anonymous. (2024). Characterisation of process-induced defects in polymeric strut-based lattice structures produced by powder bed fusion additive manufacturing process [Working paper]. SSRN.
[4] Anonymous. (2022). Numerical investigation of the defects effect in additive manufactured struts. Materials, 15(14), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15144987
[5] Anonymous. (2025). Additive manufacturing and influencing factors of lattice structures. Materials, 18(6), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18061421
[6] Anonymous. (2025). Additive manufacturing of lattice structures: a review of technologies, defects, and applications. Journal of Materials Processing Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2025.108872
[7] Anonymous. (2021). Finite element modelling of defects in additively manufactured lattice structures. Additive Manufacturing, 38, 101800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2021.101800
[8] Anonymous. (2025). Fatigue failure mechanisms and life prediction of additive manufactured lattice materials. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2025.106891
[9] Anonymous. (2025). Towards defect-free lattice structures in additive manufacturing: A holistic review of machine learning advancements. Journal of Manufacturing Processes, 144, 1–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2025.02.041
[10] Anonymous. (2022). Experimental research of selected lattice structures developed with 3D printing technology. Materials, 15(2), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15020689
[11] Anonymous. (2023). Prediction and experimental validation approach to 3D-printed lattice structures. Scientific Reports, 13, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-27641-8
[12] Anonymous. (2021). Designing additively manufactured lattice structures based on topology optimization and manufacturability constraints. Additive Manufacturing, 46, 102097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2021.102097
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Advanced Engineering and Technology Research

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.










