## 1 Introduction  
Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have developed intensively in the last decades and are now an essential part of efficient industrial production. AM no longer serves only as a technology for prototype or small batch production, but is also coming to the fore in high-volume production, with certain limitations, and is beginning to compete with conventional manufacturing technologies. The type of manufacturing technology is largely influenced by component design, the material used, development time, functionality, safety, reliability, durability, environmental footprint and recyclability. A consistent product design is a trade-off that takes into account all the specific lifecycle factors of the product [1, 2]. Traditional manufacturing technologies are among the limiting factors that have a significant impact on product design. Their technological design principles do not always achieve the optimum part properties for a given application. The modern technologies of Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) allow a realistic and innovative component design process. A design is only determined by the application, the functionality and the specific requirements of the component's designer. It is important that research and development for AM should keep coming up with innovative and sophisticated component design methods corresponding to current post-step design trends, due to the increasing number of input requirements for part design and manufacturing [3; 4; 5]. Based on the new knowledge and understanding of the capabilities of DfAM, the following construction methods have been introduced [6]:  
* Topology Optimization (TO);
* Generative Design (GD);
* Multiscale Structure Design (MSD);
* Multi-material Design (MD);
* Parts Consolidation (PC);
* Design for Mass Customization (DfMC);
* Lattice structures (LS);
* Thermal Issues in Design (TliD). Individual DfAM methods are continuously advancing in parallel with the development of AM. One of the methods that is also under investigation at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering is TO. The principles of TO have been known for several decades. The method provides optimal designs of components which are very complex in terms of geometry and not manufacturable or difficult to manufacture by traditional manufacturing methods (chip machining, casting). (Figure 1) [7; 8; 9]. The purpose of the research is the application of the above-mentioned DfAM method (TO) to the process of design and development of specific parts for a specific type of AM. The paper analyses the process and discusses the possibilities of innovation while confirming the given hypothesis. The stated hypothesis concerns the reduction of the necessary development time and component weights of a certain product line using the DfAM method. The project was undertaken with a particular international company oriented to the development and production of components for the automotive and mechanical engineering industry. The significance of the study lies in achieving an increase in the efficiency of the post-processes of the development cycle or its design phase by meeting the requirements and parameters of the components, and in the implementation of the given design procedure in the education process and practice of training institutes. Also, the given design processes and methods should serve as a template for further development and creation of methodologies using DfAM. The aim of the research activity is to develop, apply and evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative methodology for the design of certain components of mobile machines which are designed for AM (specifically SLM). Based on knowledge acquired in the field of AM and DfAM methods, a comparison is drawn with traditional design procedures. The specific goal is both to minimize the time required in the product development phase and to  
Figure 1: Topology optimization of the part [10]. enhance production efficiency.