Comparative analysis of auxetic and conventional structure designs in additive manufacturing

This study systematically investigates the performance of conventional and auxetic lattice structures fabricated via Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) by integrating production-related parameters with mechanical performance indicators. The primary novelty of this work lies in the systematic inclusion of manufacturing cost and printing time within structural performance comparisons, providing a holistic evaluation framework that addresses a significant gap in literature. Experimental results demonstrate that build orientation is critical to mechanical integrity, with the 0° orientation achieving the highest tensile strength of 44.8 MPa. Among conventional architectures, the truss-type design exhibited superior efficiency, offering an 11.8% reduction in printing time and 2.6% lower cost, while providing a 61.5% higher load-carrying capacity compared to the honeycomb structure. Within the auxetic category, the nodule–fibril (NF) configuration showed a 17.29% increase in load capacity and a remarkable 90% improvement in energy absorption relative to the reference truss structure, despite a 45.43% increase in production cost. Finite element models demonstrated high reliability, with discrepancies between numerical and experimental results remaining around 10% across all examined topologies. These findings underscore that the selection of structural topologies for engineering applications must be evaluated through the combined lens of mechanical requirements, production economy, and time constraints.