| Title |
Development of a melt-impregnation and co-extrusion system for additive manufacturing of continuous carbon fiber-reinforced polyetherimide composites |
| Authors |
Khan, Muhammad Abuzar ; RimaĊĦauskas, Marius ; Mieloszyk, Magdalena |
| DOI |
10.1016/j.jmrt.2026.09.230 |
| Full Text |
|
| Is Part of |
Journal of materials research and technology.. Amsterdam : Elsevier. 2026, vol. 45, p. 2458-2466.. ISSN 2238-7854. eISSN 2214-0697 |
| Keywords [eng] |
Co-extrusion ; Continuous carbon fiber ; Impregnated tow ; Polyetherimide ; Scanning electron microscopy ; Tensile testing |
| Abstract [eng] |
Impregnating continuous carbon fiber with high-performance thermoplastics such as polyetherimide is often limited by insufficient fiber wetting and low fiber content, which reduces the mechanical performance of composite parts. This article presents a modified melt-impregnation process that incorporates a fiber-spreading mechanism before the heating zone, followed by material co-extrusion of unidirectional composite samples. Four tows were manufactured: Tow A (no fiber spreading, 3 rpm impregnation speed), Tow B (fiber spreading, 2 rpm impregnation speed), Tow C (no fiber spreading, 2 rpm impregnation speed), and Tow D (fiber spreading, 3 rpm impregnation speed). The results showed that changing a single parameter did not significantly increase tensile force. Combining spreading with 2 rpm speed (Tow B) increased mean tow peak force by about 21% and was statistically significant. The composite samples reinforced with Tow B showed a statistically significant 25% increase in tensile strength, consistent with the higher printed fiber volume fraction and improved fiber-matrix wetting observed by scanning electron microscopy. Combining fiber spreading and reduced impregnation speed produced a fiber-rich (high fiber mass fraction), better-wetted, and more consolidated impregnated tow, which enhanced the mechanical strength of the tows and composite parts. The second impregnation in co-extrusion printing enables polymer coating around the fiber-rich tow, improving printability. |
| Published |
Amsterdam : Elsevier |
| Type |
Journal article |
| Language |
English |
| Publication date |
2026 |
| CC license |
|
