A preliminary study: support-free manufacturing of rotationally symmetric pipes from continuous carbon fiber reinforced polymers with multi-axis 3D printing

This paper presents an innovative approach that combines multi-axis fused filament fabrication (FFF) with continuous carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) to evaluate the feasibility of manufacturing rotationally symmetric CFRP pipes without mandrels or support structures. Traditional methods, such as filament winding, encounter limitations with geometric complexity and require tooling that makes them unsuitable for producing complex, individual parts. The proposed process uses the manufacturing flexibility of FFF and advantageous material properties of CFRP to create rotationally symmetric pipes on-demand. In this article, the experimental setup is described, the material and process-related challenges are discussed and a preliminary study that involves the printing of rotationally symmetric pipes to verify the viability of the process is presented. The findings aim to advance additive manufacturing techniques, enabling the production of lightweight, customized pipes for various industrial applications, and establishing this method as a cost-effective and efficient alternative.