Abstract: 3D printing technology, also known as additive manufacturing technology, is based on materials, mechanical control, computer-assisted design and other multi-cross disciplines. 3D printing enables fabrication of complex structure materials which cannot be fabricated by traditional methods. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the most well-known 3D printing technologies due to its merits like cost-effectiveness, simple in equipment and ease of operation, which has been widely used in aerospace, medical and auto industry. This review introduced the overall layout, development and planning of 3D printing technologies. This review also systematically summarized the characteristics and classifications of common 3D printing technologies, and mainly focused on the principles, advantages and requirements for the FDM technology. Especially, we aim to outline the basic requirements of polymer that suitable for FDM printing and introduce the applications of carbon-based polymer composite materials in the FDM manufacturing process. In addition, recent advances of FDM printing in fabrication of functional polymer composite materials and parts, including biomedical, electrical and thermal conductive polymer composites are reviewed in detail. The prospects for the research and applications of FDM towards manufacturing of high-performance and multifunctional polymer composite materials are proposed. At last, the challenges and key problems that need to be solved in FDM processing are considered and prospected.