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Elastomers are polymeric materials which have the property of high elasticity. By virtue of this elasticity in combination with their damping capability, elastomers are the preferred material for use as transmission elements in elastic or highly elastic couplings. [1]

3D printing meanwhile offers outrageous possibilities also for mechanical engineering; some highlights have been presented at the formnext 2016. This technology used to be considered as expensive, limited and quite slow, but the rapid development in this field led to innovative and flexible systems for production. Other news we have been really enthusiastic about are further developed augmented or virtual reality systems which can improve processes in manufacturing industries.

One of the distinguishing properties of elastomers is their high elasticity. The main characteristics of elastomers present themselves, in particular when comparing them to steel. Below we would like to elaborate on the main properties of elastomers in more detail. Figure 1 shows the main characteristics of elastomers. They are able to combine spring properties as well as damping ability in one component.