Design for additive manufacturing and lattice structures: opportunities, limitations, and future perspectives

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has enabled the realization of complex geometries and has thereby facilitated the emergence of a design-oriented production paradigm. Within this context, Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) has become a critical methodological framework that integrates key manufacturability considerations—such as material selection, process parameters, support requirements, tolerances, and minimum feature limits—into the design workflow. Lattice structures, including strut-based, planar, surface-based (TPMS), Voronoi, graded, and hybrid topologies, have gained particular prominence due to their lightweight characteristics, mechanical efficiency, and multifunctionality, resulting in broad applicability across the aerospace, automotive, biomedical, and energy sectors. This review synthesizes research published between 2000 and 2025 to provide a comprehensive examination of the opportunities, limitations, and emerging directions associated with DfAM and lattice architectures. The analysis demonstrates that process-induced geometric deviations, trapped powder, microstructural heterogeneity, support structure design, and the lack of standardization are major factors influencing the discrepancy between the designed and as-built performance of lattice components. Future research opportunities include multiscale biomimetic lattices, functionally graded architectures, hybrid structural concepts, and data-driven design approaches. Overall, this review offers an integrated perspective on lattice structure design within the DfAM framework and establishes a guiding reference for advancing industrial adoption.