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The extension of the vacuum-assisted multipoint moulding (VAMM) technology to a broader field of geometries makes it necessary to extend it with attachments to the enhanced vacuum-assisted multipoint moulding with additive attachments (EMMA) technology. Therefore, it is necessary to build additive manufactured attachments on a curved silicone surface by fused filament fabrication (FFF). The main challenge of FFF on a silicone-made build plate is the adhesion of the part on the build plate. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to find suitable and reliably manufacturable material and adhesion promoter combinations for the use of the FFF on silicone build plates.

The combinations of seven different filaments and four adhesion promoters were investigated with an experimental study. Therefore, four different specimen geometries were built with the different combinations and tested in a tensile test, and some of the specimens were analysed with a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM).

This study proves that the FFF on unheated silicone building plates is possible for several material combinations. As a filament material, polylactide can reliably be manufactured with all of the investigated adhesion promoters on the silicone build plate. Thereby, the highest adhesion strengths were achieved with an adhesive foil as an adhesion promoter, whereas the glue stick is the most appropriate solution. The investigations with the CLSM showed that there are large differences in the manifestation of the first layer depending on the adhesion promoter used.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate the manufacturing of FFF-made attachments on silicone build plates for the EMMA process. This paper provides measurement data on the build plate adhesion of the attachments on silicone-made build plates.

To describe the development of a novel polyether(meth)acrylate‐based resin material class for stereolithography with alterable material characteristics.

A complete overview of details to composition parameters, the optimization and bandwidth of mechanical and processing parameters is given. Initial biological characterization experiments and future application fields are depicted. Process parameters are studied in a commercial 3D systems Viper stereolithography system, and a new method to determine these parameters is described herein.

Initial biological characterizations show the non‐toxic behavior in a biological environment, caused mainly by the (meth)acrylate‐based core components. These photolithographic resins combine an adjustable low Young's modulus with the advantages of a non‐toxic (meth)acrylate‐based process material. In contrast to the mostly rigid process materials used today in the rapid prototyping industry, these polymeric formulations are able to fulfill the extended need for a soft engineering material. A short overview of sample applications is given.

These polymeric formulations are able to meet the growing demand for a resin class for rapid manufacturing that covers a bandwidth from softer to stiffer materials.

This paper gives an overview about the novel developed material class for stereolithography and should be therefore of high interest to people with interest in novel rapid manufacturing materials and technology.