Reinforcement effectiveness on mechanical performances of composites obtained by powder bed fusion

New material formulations to be used in Additive Manufacturing machines are one of the major interests in this fast growing field. The possibility to tune functional and mechanical properties, by the addition of reinforcements to a polymeric matrix, is hindered by the low provisional capability of the additive manufactured composite. The inherent anisotropy of layer manufacturing combines with mechanisms of filler dispersion and of filler/matrix adhesion in a complex scenario. The paper entails a critical evaluation of mechanical properties measured for several polymeric composites produced by Powder Bed Fusion, in the perspective of provisional models commonly accepted for composite materials. The models are reviewed versus experimental and literature data. The provisional effectiveness is generally good, except for the case of nanometric or surface treated fillers, or of specific anisotropic microstructures obtained by layer manufacturing.