A review on additive manufacturing of polymers composites

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing, referred to as 3D printing has extended beyond simple prototyping and is being used for the fabrication of fully functional active components. It is one of the flexible manufacturing technique that can apply to polymers, metals, ceramics, concrete, and composites. Owing to the ability to select from a wide range of processible polymers and the enhancement in some of the properties offered by polymers, the AM industry, still predominantly targets the production of polymeric components. This review demonstrates the current state of AM industry regarding polymeric materials. A brief explanation of the additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, polymers, and polymer composites (fibre reinforces, particle reinforced and nanocomposites) utilised in the AM processes is provided. Polymer AM is being applied in different applications such as biomedical, electronics, aerospace, automobile, and sporting industries respectively. The review also emphasizes the rising importance of antimicrobial polymers in the COVID-19 pandemic. The exponential use of polymeric materials in the industrial sector has caused an increase in wastage generation and disposal issues which draws attention to the importance of green composites as well as life cycle assessment (LCA) of products and processes. Finally, the significance of Distributed Recycling via AM due to the disposal issues and low polymer recycling rates is illustrated.