Large-format additive manufacturing of polymer extrusion-based deposition systems: review and applications

Additive manufacturing (AM) of polymer large parts is a technological research area with great growth potential if the main barriers to its implementation are successfully addressed. In this research, a review of large-format AM (LFAM) processes for polymers is presented, followed by market research concerning the identification of large-format polymer commercial printers. An overview was performed covering the current LFAM systems configurations and their control aspects. The design and modelling approaches related with the fabrication of polymer large parts by AM, and the materials currently being applied and under development, were described. Finally, a summary of LFAM applications with a focus in the Transportation, Academic, Construction and Energy sectors, was presented. The current main advances in the LFAM of polymers are linked with the possibility of producing large parts in a faster, cheaper, and reliable way. The market research analysis concerning results for all AM families involving polymer materials reveals that, currently, the material extrusion AM process family is potentially the most suitable to produce large parts, with a significant number of applications attesting its capability to produce such large-format components.