Abstract
Polymer nanocomposites have attracted increasing interest in research and development with
several current and potential industrial applications due to their wide margin of superiority over
conventional materials. Polymer composites provide a higher strength-to-weight ratio, easily
customizable product properties, flexible manufacturing processes, high resistance to corrosion or erosion, and lower cost. The recent progress in additive manufacturing (AM) methods
has paved the way for even a broader range of flexibilities in design and materials in several
industrial sectors, including aerospace, biomedical, construction, electronics, telecommunication, mechanical, and defense. However, some hindrances remain in the synthesis of polymer composites and their fabrication through AM technologies. A comparative review of AM
processes for polymer composites and their applications is presented in this study. This study
aims to provide engineers and scientists with an updated understanding of the underlying issues, barriers, limitations, and opportunities. It will also help the reader to systematically reveal
the research problems and future directions related to materials synthesis and AM processes.
Keywords
Additive manufacturing
3D printing
Polymer composites
Nanocomposites
Fused filament fabrication
Powder bed fusion
Vat photopolymerizatio