Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM) holds tremendous promise in terms of revolutionizing manufacturing. However, fundamental hurdles limit the widespread adoption of this technology. First, production rates are extremely low. Second, the physical size of the parts is generally small, less than a cubic foot. Third, the mechanical properties of the polymer parts are generally poor, limiting the potential for direct part replacement and functional use of the polymer components. This article describes various ways in which carbon fibers (CFs) can be used to address these fundamental hurdles. First, CF-reinforced polymers developed for AM have demonstrated specific strengths approaching aerospace-quality aluminum. Second, CF additions can radically reduce the distortion and warping of the material during deposition, which enables large-scale, out-of-the-oven, high deposition rate manufacturing. Finally, the complementary nature of CF technology and AM is discussed, showing how merging the two manufacturing processes enables the construction of complex components that would not be possible with either technology alone.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
MakerBot Replicator 2X Desktop 3D Printer.MakerBot.com. Makerbot Industries, n.d.R.A., 2014, from http://store.makerbot.com/replicator2x.
CubeX Features & Specs.Cubify.com. 3D Systems, n.d.R.A., 2014, from http://cubify.com/en/Products/CubeXTechSpecs.
Afinia H480 3D Printer.Afinia.com. Afinia, n.d.R.A., 2014, from http://www.afinia.com/3d-printers.
Solidoodle 3D Printer, r.G.S.c.S., LLC, n.d. Retrieved April 01, 2014, from http://store.solidoodle.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=79.
ASTM D638-03: Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics (ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2003).
Tekinalp, Kunc, Velez-Garcia, Duty, Love, Naskar, Blue, and Oscan: Highly oriented carbon fiber in polymer composite structures via additive manufacturing. Compos. Sci. Technol. (June 2014) submitted.
Kunc, Velez-Garcia, Ozcan, Tekinalp, Lindhal, Love, Duty, and Blue: Microstructure and property of carbon fiber reinforced materials for fused deposition modeling. Composites, Part A (April 2014) submitted.
S.P. Moylan, J.A. Slotwinski, A.L. Cooke, K.K. Jurrens, and M.A. Donmez: Proposal for a standardized test artifact for additive manufacturing machines and processes. Proceedings of the 23rd International Solid Free form Symposium–An Additive Manufacturing Conference, Austin, TX, USA, August 2012; pp. 902–920.
FaroArm Platinum P08 Laser Scan Arm.Faro.com. FARO, n.d.R.A., 2014, from http://www.faro.com/en-us/products/metroaogy/measuring-arm-faro-scanarm/overview.
GeoMagic Control 2014 Software.Geomagic.com. 3D Systems, n.d.R.A., 2014, from http://www.geomagic.com/en/products/qualify/overview.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Love, L.J., Kunc, V., Rios, O. et al. The importance of carbon fiber to polymer additive manufacturing. Journal of Materials Research 29, 1893–1898 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2014.212
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2014.212