As the engine technology of the third industrial revolution, selective laser melting (SLM) has broken through the manufacturing limit of traditional processing technology and provided the possibility for the structural design and manufacturing of high-performance components in aerospace, medical, automotive and other fields. Lattice structure has been widely used in various disciplines due to its high specific strength, high specific stiffness, low coefficient of thermal expansion and high specific surface area. Based on SLM technology, combined with the innovative manufacturing mode of material-structure-performance integration, lattice structure has become an effective solution for lightweight, highperformance and multi-functional design and manufacturing proposed by multidisciplinary fields at this stage. In this paper, the types of SLM-manufactured lattice structure, process synergy and design optimization methods are introduced in detail. The mechanical properties and energy absorption capacity of the lattice structure are analyzed; The applications of several typical functional lattice structures in aerospace, medical and automotive fields are described, and their future development in engineering applications is prospected.