Researchers from Jiangnan University , a research university in Wuxi, China, and Jiangda Vibration Isolator Co., Ltd., a vibration-control manufacturer based in the same city, have developed a 3D printed silicone rubber lattice designed to resist fungal growth while absorbing vibration and repeated compression in marine environments. Reported in a study published in Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials , the work addresses a materials trade-off that has limited earlier approaches: surface coatings can lose antimicrobial effectiveness when worn, while higher filler loadings can improve fungal resistance but reduce the flexibility silicone rubber needs for cushioning applications.

Additive manufacturing is central to the study because it lets the authors control both composition and internal geometry. Conventional foaming methods tend to produce pores with irregular size and distribution, making performance harder to predict and optimize.…