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Using Iteration To Support Design Reasoning In Individualised Additive Manufacturing
Biswas, Siddhartha; Cronau, Julius; Engstler, Florian; Koch, Alexander
Type:
Year:
2026
Editor:
Juuti, T.; Karhunen, V; Vanhatalo, M.; Lehtonen, T.;Kopra, M-J.
Author:
Series:
NordDESIGN
Institution:
University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Germany
Page(s):
164-171
DOI number:
ISBN:
978-1-912254-21-7
ISSN:
NA
Abstract:
Individualised additive manufacturing requires designers to operate under user-specific variability that cannot be fully resolved at the outset of development. In engineering design literature, iteration is often treated as a cost to be reduced rather than as a mechanism to structure uncertainty. This paper examines iteration as a component of design reasoning in the context of individualised additive manufacturing. Using the development of a combat helmet liner as an empirical basis, successive iterations are analysed with respect to geometry definition, manufacturability assessment, and energy-absorption characterisation. The findings indicate that iteration does not merely refine solutions but enables the progressive clarification of requirements under variable boundary conditions. The paper contributes an empirical account of how iteration functions as a structured response to design uncertainty in individualised additive manufacturing.
Keywords:
