Influence of Layer Thickness and Continuous Carbon Fiber on the Mechanical Property of 3D Printed Polyamide

3D printed carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRP) have shown great potential in lightweight application. Here, we report a prepreg carbon fiber reinforced polyamide composite by fused filament fabrication 3D printing process. The influence of layer thickness and carbon fiber layers on mechanical properties of 3D printed parts was well studied. With the incorporation of prepreg carbon fibers, the value of tension and flexural strengths of 3D printed CFRP parts could achieve 2.7 and 13.6 times compared to neat polyamide, respectively. Result illustrates that with the prepreg process the carbon fiber have good interface bonding strength with neat polyimide. This work could also be used for more 3D printing composite systems.