An investigation of preparation of continuous carbon fiber reinforced PLA prepreg filament

Continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite (CFRTC) 3D printing technology has been a hot research topic in the field of additive manufacturing in recent years. This technology greatly improves the mechanical properties of printed parts by adding continuous reinforced fiber to the thermoplastic polymer. This paper investigates the production of prepreg filaments for “independent extrusion” type Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing. Firstly, suitable impregnation process and materials are selected, and not only the overall design of the prepreg equipment is carried out but also combined with the impregnation theory and simulation to determine the structure of each impregnation mould. Finally, based on the prepreg equipment, continuous carbon fiber reinforced PLA prepreg filament is made. And 3D printing test was conducted. The equipment successfully manufactured continuous carbon fiber reinforced PLA prepreg with a diameter of about 0.38 mm and a monofilament tensile strength of 1200 MPa. The tensile strength of the printed parts reached 620 MPa by printing through an independent extrusion type 3D printer.