Chapter 11 - Open challenges and future opportunities in fused deposition modeling of composite materials

Abstract

Fused deposition modeling (FDM, aka fused filament fabrication, FFF) is a versatile additive manufacturing (AM) technique capable of processing a wide variety of thermoplastic materials and thermoplastic-matrix composites. Another advantage of FDM is that fully inorganic parts can be manufactured starting from composite filaments by means of the “shaping, debinding and sintering” (SDS) approach, which entails printing the composite feedstock, removing the polymer matrix acting as sacrificial binder, and sintering the part to consolidate the inorganic object. As critically reviewed in this chapter, incorporating a filler often causes technical challenges, as the printability of the neat polymer is deeply affected. Also, fillers may have complicated consequences on the porosity and the anisotropic behavior of the printed parts. However, the shift from neat thermoplastics to composites is the turnkey to endow FDM products with new embedded functionality and thus to contribute to the substantial revision of manufacturing that is necessary for the successful progress of future industries in the scenario of the Industry 4.0 revolution.