Self-Supporting Structure Technology in 3D Printing Applications

In recent years, with the rapid development of additive manufacturing technology, the design and manufacture of self-supporting structures have entered a brand-new stage, which significantly reduces the dependence on support materials through the layer-by-layer molding characteristics, opening up a new path for the lightweight and efficient production of complex geometric structures.This paper systematically reviews the research progress of selfsupporting structures.At the level of mechanical analysis, methods such as Thrust Network Analysis (TNA), Force Density Method (FDM) and Extended Limit Analysis (ELA), and discrete homogenization are used to optimize the structural compression and tension balance through numerical models.Algorithmic techniques such as parametric design, automated mesh generation, and artificial intelligence optimization fuel the realization of more complex and refined designs of structures.In addition, some engineering ideas of selfsupporting structures also provide technical references for fields such as 3D printing, demonstrating their potential in the manufacturing field.Topology optimization, as a major research hotspot in additive manufacturing, also provides an important technical basis for the realization of self-supporting structures.Despite the many advances in self-supporting structure technology, it still faces challenges such as high computational cost, limited manufacturing accuracy, and difficulty in modeling the nonlinear behavior of materials.