**7. Conclusion**

Today, textile structural composites are widely used in many application fields that usually consist of stacked layers known as 2D laminates, exhibit better in-plane strength and stiffness properties compared to those of metals and ceramics. However, the application of 2D laminates in some critical structures in aircraft and automobiles has also been restricted by their inferior impact damage resistance and low through thickness mechanical properties when compared against the traditional aerospace and automotive materials such as aluminium alloys and steel. In order to improve interlaminar properties of the 2D laminates, three dimensional (3D) textile preforms have been developed by using different manufacturing techniques like weaving, knitting, braiding, and stitching. Among these manufacturing techniques, sewing and 3D weaving are the promising technologies which address the shortcomings of the stack-reinforced composites.

In order to comprehend 3D weaving technology and its products, the production techniques and their principles have been reviewed in detail within this chapter.
