A Hybrid Processing Approach to the Manufacturing of Polyamide Reinforced Parts with Carbon Fibers

The use of thermoplastic composites reinforced with long or continuous fibers underwent an amazing increase due to advantages such as good mechanical performance, high temperature resistance, recyclable and chemical stability when compared with simple thermosetting matrices. These advantages allowed for the replacement of thermosetting systems by composites that led to the discovery of new applications. However, the processing procedure of thermoplastics reinforced with prepregs yarns entails some technological and scientific challenges mainly due to its high viscosity that results in difficulty and complexity in impregnating the reinforcements. Concerning engineering components market requirements, the polyamide thermoplastic matrices reinforced with carbon fibers have a huge demand due to the versatility of the applications where they can be used. This work presents, therefore, the development of a low-cost device that combines the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) additive manufacturing technique together with the processing and consolidation of thermoplastic prepregs yarns for manufacturing parts made of polyamide reinforced with carbon fibers without need of post-processing operations. To evaluate the mechanical properties of the polyamide reinforced with carbon fibers, samples were manufactured and three point bending and tensile tests were done. From results it was demonstrated the very high structural strength to both bending and tensile loads of tested material.