3D-printed elastomeric materials: Matrix innovation, functional expansion, and advances in multifield applications
Additive manufacturing (AM, commonly known as 3D printing) has gained widespread adoption across diverse fields owing to its high precision, capability to directly fabricate complex geometries, and support for personalized customization. Elastomeric polymers, which combine excellent elastic recovery with multifunctional properties, have converged with 3D printing to establish the emerging field of 3D-printed elastomers, thereby overcoming limitations of traditional manufacturing in design freedom and functional integration. This review systematically surveys advances in 3D-printed elastomers over the past five years. It focuses on the characteristics and suitability of mainstream processes, including material extrusion, material jetting, and photopolymerization, and provides detailed classifications of polyurethane-based, silicone-based, polyolefin-based, and bio-based matrix materials. The design and processing principles, core breakthroughs and current technical bottlenecks of functional elastomers are comprehensively outlined, while summarizing demonstrated applications in biomedicine, flexible electronics, soft robotics, industrial manufacturing, and consumer products. Nevertheless, key challenges remain for 3D-printed elastomers, including balancing competing material properties, reconciling process throughput with dimensional precision, ensuring reliability in extreme environments, and enabling large-scale manufacturing. The review concludes by outlining future directions, such as the design of dynamic and adaptive polymer networks, development of green and sustainable materials, and convergence-driven interdisciplinary innovation, thereby providing guidance for future research and industrial translation.
