3D Printing using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer

PROJECT PROPOSAL ON 3 D PRINTING USING CARBON FIBER REINFORCED
POLYMER
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................3
Chapter 2: Literature Review...........................................................................................................4
Chapter 3: Research Question.........................................................................................................6
Chapter 4: Research Scope..............................................................................................................6
Chapter 4: Research Gap.................................................................................................................7
Chapter 5: Research Methodology..................................................................................................7
Chapter 6: Project Budget, Resources and Timeline.....................................................................11
Chapter 7: Team Charter and Communication Strategy................................................................17
Chapter 8: Summary......................................................................................................................18
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................19
List of tables
Table 1: Showing the Resources needed and Budget....................................................................12
.Table 2: Showing the Timeline of Activities................................................................................13

Chapter 1: Introduction
Recently, aluminum was considered as the outstanding material in making fixtures, jigs, and
prototypes because of its ease of machining, favorable costs and the fact that it is readily
available in the market. However, the use of aluminum was very expensive when one analyzes
the labor needed, the costs of tools that are needed and setting up such companies. Therefore, 3
D printers were the next best alternative in designing fixtures, one-off components and
prototypes by applying 3 D printable polymers. Examples of materials that are used in 3 D
printing include fiber reinforced polymers like fiberglass, Kevlar and even carbon fiber.
Currently, companies are shifting to the use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer that possesses the
trait of high end strength enabling it to be used in making industrial parts. The main idea is not
only to print stronger 3D material but also the idea on cost efficiency must be addressed by
applying 3 D printing technology using carbon fiber reinforced polymer.
The application of carbon fiber reinforced polymers in 3 D printing often produce components
and structures that have lighter weights but are efficient and very complex. The first step that the
short carbon fiber reinforced polymers undergo is the compounding phase. Later, they will
undergo processing hereby producing powders, filaments and other components. Lastly, these
components undergo the printing process by applying the fused deposition method (FDM) or
even the selected laser sintering (SLS) method. When calculated, the tensile strength of the
printed components that is nylon-based should exceed 70 MPa.
In processing the continuous carbon fiber reinforced polymers the impregnated, divided and
plastic carbon fiber filaments pass through the preparation phase which is the first step of this
process. Later, the components pas through the printing phase which involves methods like FDM

and SLS. When calculated, the tensile strength of the printed components should exceed 200
MPa. The best material should be applied in 3 D printing. This paper studies the use of carbon
fiber reinforced material in 3 D printing.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
3 D printing is a technology that allows the creation of objects in three dimension state by
stacking numerous thin layers on top of one another. The technology was invented at around
1984 by Charles Hull using a formula called the stereo lithography. In his study, he placed a
perforated platform below a vat consisting of photo polymer. He then applied a laser to trace the
layers of the object resulting in hardening of the photo polymer (Horne, 2017). The process was
repeated until the object was complete.
The main question that Greenemeier et al tried to examine and determine is the importance of
this technology. Currently, 3 D printing is vital in the healthcare sector. Doctors as well as
surgeons can create mockup patient parts and use it to determine the area that is to be operated
on. This can take just a few hours. Similarly, the technology is vital when it comes to skin
transplants. It is used for patients who need to undergo the skin graft procedure. In this instance,
it generates a fake skin that is normally applied by patients who have burns on their bodies. 3 D
printing has also allowed artists to create duplicates of perfect art objects. These applications are
important but it is important to know the type of 3 D printing that is applied for each case
(Jenkins, 2012).
Theoretical studies by Klaus et al have shown that 3 D printing has undergone a huge
transformation and can be easily done by a process called material jetting. In this study, a print
head made up of multi nozzles is used in emission of the material. Ultraviolet light is then

applied in hardening the material this is after each layer of material has been placed. The
application of this process is mostly in printing plastic materials and further studies of using this
process in printing metal alloys have not yet been advanced (Segerman, 2015).
There are still other methods that can be applied in 3 D printing of carbon fiber reinforced
material. The study by Morgan et al on selective laser sintering show that this method applies a
laser beam in fusing thin layers of thermoplastic material that is in powder form. This method is
one type of additive manufacturing that produces components without the use of special tooling.
The lack of specific tooling has become a problem in using this method in 3 D printing as it
cannot match with the other methods that can be applied in producing in small scale and have
freedom when it comes to geometric design (Kloski, 2016). Gradual improvements have made
people to look for better methods of 3 D printing.
According to Horne et al a breakthrough in 3 D printing came by when there was the application
of fused deposition method (FDM) in printing materials. It is another form of additive
manufacturing. It applies the use of computer aided design (CAD) in creating an object. The
nozzle extrudes the material layer after layer until the whole process is complete. FDM has
revolutionized the process of 3 D printing due to the affordability, reliability, and simplicity of
the process. Consumers, students and even manufacturers have all embraced FDM the best kind
of additive manufacturing technologies. A study by Schwab et al has shown on growth rate on
the use of 3 D printing in the 2 decades. The study further reveals that 3 D printing has been
adopted by big players in the manufacturing industry like General Electric and Ford. Aranda et al
expects that 3 D will be the next big player in the technology industry (Smyth, 2015). The FDM
process has been selected for use in research in better ways of advancing the process,

engineering applications and in innovating new materials to be used in the now and the near
future.
The issue on the best materials to use in 3 D printing was a very curious topic. After years of
research by Russell et al some light at the end of the tunnel has been seen in trying to generate
the ultimate 3 D materials. These are the most common materials that are applied in everyday
printing. The nature of these materials has been seen to affect the quality of the print produced.
In addition, the study done by Davis et al reveals that some people have a lot of doubts regarding
3 D printing and the material used in the process. The horizons to explore are still too many.
Even though carbon fiber reinforced material is among those that exhibit great tensile strength
when applied for other purposes, it is necessary to conduct a study to determine if it is the best
material to use in 3 D printing.
Chapter 3: Research Question
This research aims at studying the applicability of carbon fiber reinforced polymer material in 3
D printing and the specific technique that is suitable for printing such material. Also to be
observed will be mechanical properties of the material when used in the experiments.
Chapter 4: Research Scope
The results of this experiment will provide us with the necessary knowhow on the various
materials that are applied in 3 D printing, more so on the quality of objects that the carbon fiber
reinforced polymer material is able to print. In each scenario, the quality of the object will be
noted and analyzed carefully.