3D-Printed Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites by Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM): Fiber Length and Fiber Implementation Techniques

Abstract

Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) is an actively growing additive manufacturing (AM) technology due to its ability to produce complex shapes in a short time. AM, also known as 3-dimensional printing (3DP), creates the desired shape by adding material, preferably by layering contoured layers on top of each other. The need for low cost, design flexibility and automated manufacturing processes in industry has triggered the development of FDM. However, the mechanical properties of FDM printed parts are still weaker compared to conventionally manufactured products. Numerous studies and research have already been carried out to improve the mechanical properties of FDM printed parts. Reinforce polymer matrix with fiber is one of the possible solutions. Furthermore, reinforcement can enhance the thermal and electrical properties of FDM printed parts. Various types of fibers and manufacturing methods can be adopted to reinforce the polymer matrix for different desired outcomes. This review emphasizes the fiber types and fiber insertion techniques of FDM 3D printed fiber reinforcement polymer composites. A brief overview of fused deposition modelling, polymer sintering and voids formation during FDM printing is provided, followed by the basis of fiber reinforced polymer composites, type of fibers (synthetic fibers vs. natural fibers, continuous vs. discontinuous fiber) and the composites’ performance. In addition, three different manufacturing methods of fiber reinforced thermoplastics based on the timing and location of embedding the fibers, namely ‘embedding before the printing process (M1)’, ‘embedding in the nozzle (M2)’, and ‘embedding on the component (M3)’, are also briefly reviewed. The performance of the composites produced by three different methods were then discussed.

Effect of Fibre Size on Mechanical Properties and Surface Roughness of PLA Composites by Using Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)

“…FDM as shown in Fig. 1 has become increasingly popular in industrial applications such as biomedical, mechanical, and electrical manufacturing in recent years [16,[20][21][22].…”

“…From the tensile and flexural strength results, it can be concluded that a smaller fibre size is better than a larger fibre size. A smaller size has a higher surface area to increase the bonding between the two phases and can distribute well without agglomeration thus increasing the inner strength of the composites [22]. The trend of strength that gradually decreases as the size of the fibre is increasing might be due to voids or impurities of the fibre itself.…”

Additive Manufactured Strain Sensor Using Stereolithography Method with Photopolymer Material

“…Manufacturers prefer these techniques according to the dimensions of the applications to be made. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) [ 23 , 24 ], SLA [ 25 , 26 ], Polyjet [ 27 ], Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) [ 28 ], Inkjet Printing [ 29 ], Digital Light Processing (DLP) [ 30 ], and Two-Photon Polymerization (TPP) [ 31 , 32 ] are the most widely used 3D printing techniques today. In particular, TPP, SLA, and DLP techniques were found to be superior to other methods in the fabrication of micro and nano systems.…”

3D printing of continuous cellulose fibre composites: microstructural and mechanical characterisation

“…However, most 3D printed polymer products are still used as conceptual prototypes rather than functional components because unreinforced polymer products built by FDM lack strength and functionality (Chacón et al , 2019). To improve the mechanical performance of 3D printed parts, fibres have been added to polymers (Ismail et al , 2022). The development of short fibre-reinforced polymer composites made by additive manufacturing has been on-going for about a decade (Goh et al , 2019; Zindani and Kumar, 2019).…”