A new paradigm in continuous fiber-reinforced polymer fused filament fabrication based on a thermoset-thermoplastic bi-matrix material system is proposed and proved. This totally new 3-D printing concept has the potential to overcome the drawbacks and to combine the advantages of separate thermoset and thermoplastic-based, fused filament fabrication methods and to advance continuous fiber-reinforced polymer 3-D printing toward higher mechanical performances of 3-D printed parts. The novel bi-matrix 3-D printing method and preliminary results related to the 3-D printed composite microstructure and performances are reported.
Keywords: 3-D printing; additive manufacturing; continuous fibers; fiber reinforced polymer; fused filament fabrication; polymer matrix composite; thermoplastic; thermoset.