Fiber-reinforced composites: A comprehensive review of traditional and additive manufacturing processes and material architectures

Fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs) are extensively used in aerospace, transportation, automotive, and marine applications owing to their high specific strength, corrosion resistance, and design flexibility. With rising demands for lightweight and high-performance structures, advances in composite manufacturing and performance control have attracted increasing attention. This review summarizes traditional processes, including molding, filament winding, and pultrusion, as well as emerging additive manufacturing techniques such as fused deposition modeling, laminated object manufacturing, and photopolymerization. Emphasis is placed on the relationships between processing parameters, microstructural features, and structural performance, particularly porosity, interfacial bonding, and defect formation. The influences of fiber architecture, matrix systems, and interfacial interactions are also discussed. Finally, an integrated “process–materials–performance” framework is proposed to guide the design and optimization of advanced fiber-reinforced composite structures.