Additive manufacturing techniques are becoming more and more widespread in industry during the last years due to their high flexibility regarding part geometry. But a true breakthrough does not take place due to the limited choice of applicable materials and consequently the restricted functions the generated parts can fulfill especially in case of polymer materials. Certain process limitations like a special melt and crystallization behavior or an exact defined UV-curability restrict the material selection. One strategy beside the qualification of new materials could be the use of different functionalization approaches. These approaches include not only the possibility to improve certain part properties by filling materials or coating parts but also to establish new part functions. Besides filling or coating a further strategy to enhance the functionality of additive manufactured parts can be the embedding of functional components.
This paper presents the challenges in manufacturing functional parts by means of additive technologies and discusses results on new materials and techniques in order to achieve this aim. It especially focuses on the industrial relevant additive technologies of laser sintering and stereolithography. In the field of laser sintering functional additives or coatings allow an improvement of the biocompatibility of individual implants made from PEEK but also the integration of electrical functions on the surface of laser sintered PA 12 parts usable as electronic circuit boards in the near future. Further a new technology ‘embedded stereolithography’ (E SLA) is shown which allows the fabrication of complex mechatronical modules in one manufacturing system. Based on the presented findings an outlook will be given which shows the necessary work for the future.