Additive Manufacturing of Polymer Composites: Processing and Structural Design

Research on the additive manufacturing of polymer composites has been growing at a relentless pace as it holds the promise of delivering conceptual prototypes and end-use structures in a rapid manner, with reduced material wastage. The ubiquitous nature of 3D printing has enabled the manufacture of products ‘only on demand’ and ‘just in time production’, which caters to the fabrication of 3D structure anywhere and anytime. All of this has significantly reduced the carbon footprint of manufactured structures. To further enhance properties of 3D printed structues, recent studies have focused on reinforcing polymer matrices with fillers to enhance certain properties of 3D printed structures. In this chapter, our review presents an in-depth analysis of the effect of filler addition in the 3D printed composites, while discussing the strengthening mechanism associated with filler alignment. The possibility of designing materials and structures across various scales in additive manufacturing for realizing many corresponding functionalities is also reviewed, along with highlighting challenges for future progress.