Methods for additively manufacturing components using lattice support structures

A method for additively manufacturing a component, the method comprising:

• generating, via imaging software, a plurality of slices of a support structure of the component based on component geometry, wherein the generating further comprises:
• generating a plurality of two-dimensional (2-D) unit cell slices of a lattice configuration of the support structure;
• duplicating the 2-D unit cell slices in X and Y directions to cover a fill area of the lattice configuration;
• trimming the 2-D unit cell slices by a boundary of the lattice configuration;
• combining the trimmed 2-D unit cell slices to form a final slice of the lattice configuration;
• and
• directly feeding a plurality of final slices to an additive manufacturing system prior to generating a three-dimensional (3-D) geometry of the support structure;
• melting or fusing, via the additive manufacturing system, layers of material to a build platform of the component so as to form the support structure and a component body according to the plurality of slices of the support structure, the support structure comprising the lattice configuration having a plurality of support members arranged together to form a plurality of cells;
• and
• after the support structure and the component body solidify, removing all of the support structure from the component body to form the component.