This publication summarises the current state of knowledge and technology on the possibilities and limitations of using mineral and synthetic fillers in the field of 3D printing of thermoplastics. FDM technology can be perceived as a miniaturised variation of conventional extrusion processing (a microextrusion process). However, scaling the process down has an undoubtful drawback of significantly reducing the extrudate diameter (often by a factor of ≈20–30). Therefore, the results produced under conventional extrusion processing cannot be simply translated to processes run with the application of FDM technology. With that in mind, discussing the latest findings in composite materials preparation and application in FDM 3D printing was necessary.

Additive manufacturing and 3D printing methods based on the extrusion of material have become very popular in recent years. There are many methods of printing ceramics, but the direct extrusion method gives the largest range of sizes of printed objects and enables scaling of processes also in large-scale applications. Additionally, the application of this method to ceramic materials is of particular importance due to its low cost, ease of use, and high material utilization. The paper presents the most important literature reports on ceramics printed by direct extrusion. The review includes articles written in English and published between 2017 and 2022. The aim of this literature review was to present the main groups of ceramic materials produced by extrusion-based 3D printing.

The first report of using limonene derivative of a spherosilicate as a modifier of polylactide used for 3D printing and injection moulding is presented. The paper presents the use of limonene-functionalized spherosilicate derivative as a functional additive. The study compared the material characteristics of polylactide modified with SS-Limonene (0.25–5.0% w/w) processed with traditional injection moulding and 3D printing (FFF, FDM). A significant improvement in the processing properties concerning rheology, inter-layer adhesion, and mechanical properties was achieved, which translated into the quality of the print and reduction of waste production. Moreover, the paper describes the elementary stages of thermal transformations of the obtained hybrid systems.

This article presents a novel 3D printing technique called L-FDM (liquid for fused deposition modeling), which is based on the deposition of molten thermoplastic material. The new method allows for the direct introduction of chemicals and polymer filament modifications during the printing process. In contrast to traditional incremental methods, L-FDM eliminates the need for extra granulating, extrusion, and processing equipment, making it possible to introduce chemical additives to the polymer matrix directly. This opens up exciting possibilities for chemical laboratories to test and experiment with new and known chemicals through 3D printing. The article discusses the technical aspects of L-FDM and its potential applications and provides practical examples of direct filament modifications using the technique. The results of these modifications were verified using a colorimeter, electron microscopy (SEM/EDS), and optical microscopy.

The rising demand for innovative and sophisticated personal care products is a driving factor for manufacturers to obtain new formulations that will fulfill the customers’ preferences. In recent years, silsesquioxanes have attracted the attention of the cosmetics industry. These compounds have been proposed to be used in novel cosmetic formulations as emollient, dispersant, and viscosity modifiers. Therefore, this publication aims to review the main important aspects of polyhedral oligosilsesquioxanes as ingredients of personal care formulations, taking into consideration different types of products. The methods of obtaining these compounds were also presented. Additionally, the detailed analysis of patents dedicated to the application of silsesquioxanes in cosmetic formulations was also performed.

This paper presents the impact of accelerated aging on selected mechanical and thermal properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) composites filled with sedimentary hybrid natural filler-Opoka rock. The filler was used in two forms: an industrial raw material originating as a subsieve fraction natural material, and a rock calcinated at 1000 °C for production of phosphorous sorbents. Fillers were incorporated with constant amount of 5 wt % of the resulting composite, and the material was subjected to accelerated weathering tests with different exposition times. The neat polypropylene and composites with calcium carbonate as a reference filler material were used for comparison. The aim of the research was to determine the possibility of using the Opoka rock as a new hybrid filler for polypropylene, which could be an alternative to the widely used calcium carbonate and silica. The thermal, mechanical, and structural properties were evaluated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR/ATR) prior to and after accelerated aging. As a result, it was found that the composites of polypropylene with Opoka were characterized by similar or higher functional properties and higher resistance to photodegradation compared to composites with conventional calcium carbonate. The results of measurements of mechanical properties, structural and surface changes, and the carbonyl index as a function of accelerated aging proved that Opoka was an effective ultraviolet (UV) stabilizer, significantly exceeding the reference calcium carbonate in this respect. The new hybrid filler of natural origin in the form of Opoka can therefore be used not only as a typical powder filler, but above all as a UV blocker/stabilizer, thus extending the life of polypropylene composites, especially for outdoor applications.