Additive Manufacturing of Fiber‐Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites through Material Extrusion: A Comprehensive Review on Filament Fabrication, Printing, Testing Methods, Applications, and Challenges
Vishal Gupta, Naveen Kumar Bankapalli, Prateek Saxena, Ankur Bajpai, Dong Ruan
Abstract
Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has revolutionized the manufacturing industry by enabling the manufacturer to have precise control over material composition, complex geometry, and microstructure. While the 3D printing technology for polymer materials has been explored for over two decades, its use in high‐strength applications is limited due to the subpar mechanical properties of printed parts. To address this limitation, the technique of 3D printing polymer matrix composites (PMCs) has been developed. This review article explores the manufacturing of PMCs using the material extrusion process in additive manufacturing. It emphasizes detailed processes of matrix filament manufacturing, fiber processing, and various 3D printing methods for composite manufacturing of short and continuous fiber which have been discussed in detail. Additionally, a careful examination of the mechanical testing results is done to fully evaluate how these materials perform by discussing the effects of key printing factors, such as layer height, infill density and pattern, printing speed, and more. Research findings show that continuous fiber‐reinforced PMCs outperformed the short fiber‐reinforced PMCs and neat polymer parts. Furthermore, this article discusses various applications of polymer matrix composites fabricated using 3D printing technology and the challenges encountered during 3D printing.