3D-Printed Continuous Fiber Composites: An Overview of Materials, Systems and Processes

Abstract

3D-printed composites represent a cutting-edge advancement in additive manufacturing, offering the ability to fabricate high-strength, lightweight structures by embedding continuous fibers within a single deposition process. This innovative approach significantly enhances the mechanical performance of printed parts compared to traditional polymer-based 3D printing. In this article, we present a structured review of recent developments in 3D-printed composite technologies. The discussion is organized into three key areas: (i) the types and properties of continuous fibers used in 3D printing, (ii) the underlying mechanisms and systems that enable fiber deposition, and (iii) emerging strategies involving commingled materials that integrate reinforcement and matrix components at the filament level. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state and future directions of continuous fiber-reinforced additive manufacturing.

Keywords

3D-printer / Continuous fibers 3D-printed materials

Statement of the Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process

ChatGPT was used only for language refinement and not for content generation.

Aknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Composite Technology Center (NTC) from the Federal University de Itajubá-Brazil for the general facilities.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization: R.M.D.B. and A.C.A.J. Methodology: I.C. and F.N. Investigation: L.C.P. and A.J. Resources: R.M.D.B. and A.C.A.J. Writing—Original Draft Preparation: R.M.D.B. and I.C. Writing—Review & Editing: L.C.P., A.J., I.C. and F.N. Visualization: T.d.F.S. and A.J. Supervision: A.C.A.J. Project Administration: R.M.D.B. Funding Acquisition: R.M.D.B. and A.C.A.J.

Ethics Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

No new datasets were generated or analyzed for this study.

Funding

This research was funded by National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) under project 407431/2022-5, 447331/2024-8 and 303160/2023-3; from Research Foundation of the State of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) under project APQ 01846-18 and APQ-00853-25.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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