Abstract
Wood and lignocellulosic-based material components are explored in this review as functional additives and reinforcements in composites for extrusion-based additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing. The motivation for using these sustainable alternatives in 3D printing includes enhancing material properties of the resulting printed parts, while providing a green alternative to carbon or glass filled polymer matrices, all at reduced material costs. Previous review articles on this topic have focused only on introducing the use of natural fillers with material extrusion AM and discussion of their subsequent material properties. This review not only discusses the present state of materials extrusion AM using natural filler-based composites but will also fill in the knowledge gap regarding state-of-the-art applications of these materials. Emphasis will also be placed on addressing the challenges associated with 3D printing using these materials, including use with large-scale manufacturing, while providing insight to overcome these issues in the future.
Highlights
Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing are among the most exciting advances in materials development over the past several decades [1]
Previous issues with materials cost, availability, and properties have limited these thrusts in the past, but new research has provided a multitude of potential routes to success
The generic 3D printing process consists of three process steps including: (1) preparing a model of the part to be made using computer aided design (CAD), (2) separating the CAD model into
Summary
Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing are among the most exciting advances in materials development over the past several decades [1]. Liu et al presented an extensive review on the use of biopolymer fillers in materials extruded AM samples, with a focus on their use in biomedical applications, but did not analyze many other applications for composite materials [14] While each of these reviews have provided an in-depth discussion into material availability, properties, and even potential challenges, with a focus on some specialized applications, no review has yet to analyze two key state-of-the-art areas of this application: large-scale AM processing and wide-ranging material applications. Previous issues with materials cost, availability, and properties have limited these thrusts in the past, but new research has provided a multitude of potential routes to success It is the purpose of this paper to review the current research activities in the use of wood and lignocellulosic-based materials in extrusion AM processes, with an emphasis on these underrepresented areas. Discussion will include material properties of these composites, manufacturing and processing challenges, and material considerations
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