A new method of preparing lattice structures of continuous carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics

The three-dimensional lattice sandwich structure of composite has attracted extensive attention in the engineering field due to its superior mechanical property and multifunctional designability. Developing technology that can guarantee both production cycle and cost remains challenging. In this work, an innovative forming technology based on 3D printing and hot folding process is presented to fabricate lattice sandwich structures of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics. The prepared lattice sandwich structures show obvious competitiveness and superior material efficiency, which is reflected in high compressive strength (23.55 MPa/(g/cm3)) and specific compressive modulus (457.82 MPa/(g/cm3)). The simplified theoretical model and 3D progressive failure model are carried out to predict the compressive behaviors of the lattice sandwich structures, and the results are consistent with the experimental results. Additionally, the flexibility of the proposed method is demonstrated by fabricating various 3D structures.