A short review on fused deposition modeling 3D printing of bio-based polymer nanocomposites

Fused deposition modeling (FDM), one among the most commonly used additive manufacturing (AM), techniques has been widely used in recent years to produce customized parts with intricate geometries, especially from thermoplastics. This method was limited in its ability to produce parts for industrial applications due to inferior properties and the poor quality of fabricated parts. Hence, researchers are being driven to discover novel materials that are viable for FDM in order to keep up with enormous demand for functional products. In the recent years, it is widely recognized that the emphasis was placed on the bio-based polymer composite matrices rather than conventional thermoplastics due to its vital advantages that aid in the replacement of synthetic and perilous materials. On this context, this review focuses on the recent advancements in FDM printing with biomaterials. Specifically, attempts have been made to investigate and provide nutshell of 3D printing of current bio-based nanocomposites which consist of either bio-derived filler or polymer matrices in order to make 3D printing sustainable. The effect of fillers on the filaments and FDM based products, evolution of novel characteristics of bio nanocomposites, the printability of the developed composites and their development in leading applications were also investigated and summarized.