Abstract: For the basket, as a load bearing structure of a centrifuge, its load bearing capability is influenced by its mass. The topology optimization design of a centrifuge basket based on HyperWorks/OptiStruct is carried out by adopting the variable density method, taking the basket's mass as the objective and its largest deformation as the constraint. The result shows that after optimization, the mass of the basket is considerably reduced within the constraint of the deformation, which means that the load bearing capability of the centrifuge is improved.