Toward Reliable and Functional FDM: Mapping Performance Barriers and Technological Enablers

Abstract FDM offers significant potential for functional manufacturing, yet its ability to consistently deliver high-quality output is constrained by material, process, and operational challenges. This paper presents a structured review that defines major performance domains and maps them to their corresponding technical and operational limitations. In total, seven performance domains and twenty-one challenge-to-performance routes were identified, forming the foundation of a route-based analysis. To address these performance limitations, five enabling techniques and technologies were identified, and their potential to achieve this shown through fourteen technique-to-challenge routes. This mapping provides a strategic framework for enhancing FDM outcomes, supporting researchers and engineers in identifying opportunities to overcome them.