New materials for rapid prototyping applications

Rapid prototyping (RP) is a widely used manufacturing tool in the product development cycle. This Highlight article gives a brief overview of the currently available RP techniques with special emphasis on three-dimensional (3D) printing. The advantages and drawbacks of various RP processes regarding material quality, feature resolution, and surface quality are pointed out. New developments in the field of material development allow the use of polymer ionomers for 3D printing. Using polymer ionomers some of the drawbacks of 3D printing can be eliminated. In particular, the mechanical strength can be increased compared to traditional powder systems used for 3D printing. This article describes the chemical background of polymer ionomers and the relevance of these materials for future developments in RP.