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Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM) is a term used to describe technologies that utilize 3D model data to create physical objects by depositing materials in the form of powder, wire and/or resin. One of the applications of AM is in manufacturing composites, where two or more materials are combined to form a helpful engineering material. This review article covers the most common AM technologies used in composite manufacturing, including Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM), Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), and Direct Energy Deposition (DED). The work intends to provide a structured set of information for beginners or practitioners, helping to acquire the essential knowledge in this field in just a document, and this represents its main novelty, as no other articles have been found to provide a deep but synthetic set of information about this subject. The article describes each process’s main characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages and provides a brief SWOT analysis, offering examples of their use. In summary, AM of composite materials has the potential to transform 3D printing from a prototyping method into a robust manufacturing technique. However, there is no universally superior AM technique, and the most appropriate method must be selected for each application.
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