Manufacturing Process for Non-Adhesive Super-Soft Vocal Fold Models

Our research aims at improving the manufacturing process of synthetic vocal folds. Such models can be used in basic phonetic and voice research, in medical research, and to create models of the human vocal tract that produce speech like human beings. Synthetic vocal fold models are usually made of multiple layers of soft silicone with different degrees of softness.

They correspond to the properties of human vocal fold tissue. The technologies used to make these models include computer-aided design, 3D printing, and silicone casting. Highly diluted silicone vocal fold models have reduced quality due to stickiness and rapid aging.

This decreases the reproducibility of research using these models. This protocol addresses the issue of vocal fold stickiness. We have reversed the order of producing the silicone layers in our fabrication process.

We started with the epithelium layer. This allowed us to create a very soft mucosal layer from diluted silicone without causing the epithelium layer to become sticky.