Enhancing Tensile Properties in Additively Manufactured Parts: A Study on PETG and Continuous Carbon Fiber Composites

Additive manufacturing (AM) of continuous carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites (CFRP) provides major advantages over metals since composites are lightweight, possess corrosion and fatigue resistance, and demonstrate high strength and stiffness. CFRPs currently receive considerable attention in the biomedical, aerospace, and electronics industries. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of perimeter continuous carbon fiber (CCF) reinforcement on the tensile performance of polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) specimens. The two types of samples were fabricated using an Anisoprint Composer A4 printer, a co-extrusion fused filament fabrication printer. The PETG specimens were used as a reference, while the composites were reinforced with carbon fiber only in perimeter contours along the profile. Experimental results show that the PETG/CCF composite specimens had an almost twofold increase in tensile strength, yield strength, and modulus of elasticity compared to PETG samples, while the strain at break of composites decreased significantly.