Additive Manufacturing - List of Terms

Stay up to date with all additive manufacturing terms. CEAD explains the frequently used terms about large scale 3D printing.

3D Printing: A common term used to describe additive manufacturing, particularly when it involves creating physical objects from digital 3D models.
3D Scanner: A device or software used to capture the physical shape and dimensions of objects in the real world to create 3D digital models.
3D-printed object: The result of additive manufacturing, created layer by layer using various materials and technologies.
Adaptive slicing: A feature in slicing software that automatically adjusts print parameters based on the geometry and complexity of the object.
Additive design: Designing products and components with the specific intention of optimizing them for additive manufacturing processes.
Additive manufacturing (AM): The process of creating three-dimensional objects by adding material layer by layer, often referred to as 3D printing.
Adhesion: The ability of the first layer of a 3D print to properly stick to the build platform.
Adhesive: Substances used to improve adhesion between layers or to assist in bed adhesion during 3D printing.
Bed leveling: The process of ensuring that the build platform is perfectly level and at the correct height to achieve proper layer adhesion during printing.
Bioprinting: A specialized form of 3D printing that uses biological materials, like cells and tissues, to create living structures.
Binder jetting: An additive manufacturing process in which a liquid binder is selectively deposited onto a powder bed to bind particles together and create an object.
Build plate/platform: The surface upon which the 3D-printed object is constructed layer by layer. The platform can be heated and adjusted for specific LFAM applications. Read more on CEAD's print bed.
Build rate: The speed at which layers or material are deposited during 3D printing, often measured in millimeters per second.
Build volume: The maximum size of the object that can be produced by a particular 3D printer.
Dynamic Flow Control (DFC): A DFC, also known as a gear pump or melt pump, is a positive displacement pump that is used in LFAM to provide precise and constant pressure to the melted material as it is extruded from the nozzle.
Computer-Aided Design (CAD): Software used to create digital 3D models of objects, which can be used as the basis for 3D printing.
End-use parts: Objects or components created using additive manufacturing that are intended for functional use in products or systems.
Extruder: The component of a 3D printer responsible for pushing material into the print head.
Extrusion temperature: The temperature at which the granulated material is melted and extruded from the nozzle, typically controlled by the printer's settings.
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM): A popular 3D printing technique that uses a heated nozzle to extrude thermoplastic filament onto a build platform layer by layer.
Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF): An alternative term for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), describing the process of building objects by melting and extruding thermoplastic filament. Click to read more about the difference between 3D printing with filament versus using pellets.
G-code: A numerical control language used to control 3D printers, specifying the movement and behavior of the printer's print head or bed.
Gantry: The framework or structure that supports the moving components of a 3D printer, including the print head or bed. Read more about CEAD's gantry solutions for 3D printing.
Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT): The temperature at which a 3D-printed material starts to deform under load, indicating its thermal stability.
Heated bed: A heated build platform used to improve adhesion and reduce warping in certain 3D printing processes.
Hybrid Manufacturing: A combination of additive and subtractive manufacturing processes, where 3D printing is used alongside traditional machining.
Infill: The pattern or density of material used to fill the interior of a 3D-printed object, which can affect its strength and weight.
Layer adhesion: The strength of the bond between adjacent layers in a 3D-printed object.
Layer bonding: The strength of the bond between successive layers in a 3D-printed object in FGF.
Layer height: The thickness of each individual layer of material deposited during 3D printing.
Layer orientation: The specific direction in which each layer of a 3D print is deposited, which can affect the object's strength and appearance.
Material extrusion: A category of additive manufacturing processes that includes FDM and other techniques where material is extruded through a nozzle to build up layers.
Material extrusion rate: The speed at which material is extruded through the nozzle during FGF printing, measured in millimeters per second.
Multi-material printing: The ability to 3D print objects using multiple materials simultaneously, often achieved with specialized dual-extruder 3D printers.
Nozzle: The part of an FDM 3D printer that heats up and extrudes the material onto the build platform.
Nozzle diameter: The diameter of the nozzle used in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printers, which determines the width of the extruded material.
Overshoot: A printing issue where the print head goes slightly beyond its intended position, leading to inaccuracies in the final print.
Part orientation: The positioning of the 3D model on the build platform to optimize printing results.
Post-processing: The steps taken after FGF printing to clean, refine, and finish the printed object, which may include sanding, painting, or assembly.
Printer nozzle: The component of a 3D printer responsible for extruding material onto the build platform or previous layers.
Raft: A support structure or base layer printed beneath the main object to enhance adhesion and stability.
Rapid prototyping: The use of additive manufacturing to quickly create prototypes or models of products for design and testing purposes.
Resolution XY: The level of detail achievable in the horizontal plane (X and Y axes) of a 3D print, often measured in micrometers.
Resolution Z: The layer thickness or level of detail achievable in the vertical direction (Z axis) of a 3D print, often measured in micrometers or millimeters.
Sacrificial support: Temporary support structures that can be dissolved or removed after 3D printing, often used in complex prints.
Scanning: The process of capturing the physical shape of an object to create a 3D digital model, often using lasers or cameras
Support Density: The amount and spacing of support structures within a 3D-printed object, affecting post-processing efforts.
Support material: A removable material used in 3D printing to provide structural support for overhangs and complex geometries.
Support removal tool: Tools used to manually remove support structures from 3D-printed objects after printing.
Support structures: Temporary structures or scaffolding used in 3D printing to support overhanging or complex parts of an object during printing and later removed.
Surface finish: The quality and texture of the outer surface of a 3D-printed object, which can vary based on printing parameters and post-processing.
Thermoplastic: A type of material used in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing that can be melted and solidified multiple times.
Tolerance: The acceptable level of variation or deviation from the intended dimensions of a 3D-printed object.
Tolerance stack-up: The cumulative effect of variations in dimensions and tolerances across multiple components or features in a 3D-printed assembly.
Tool change: The process of switching between different print heads, nozzles, or CNC-mills during a 3D printing process to enable additive and subtractive manufacturing.
Topology: The study of the arrangement of elements within a structure or object, often optimized in design for additive manufacturing.
Topology optimization: The use of computer algorithms to optimize the internal structure of a 3D-printed object for strength and weight reduction.
Voxel: A three-dimensional pixel, representing a volumetric unit of space in a 3D digital model.
Warping: The tendency of a 3D-printed object to deform or lift at the corners or edges during cooling.
X-Y Resolution: The level of detail achievable in the horizontal plane of a 3D print, often measured in millimeters or micrometers.
Z-Axis: The vertical axis in a 3D printer, representing the direction in which layers are built up to create an object.
Z-Axis resolution: The level of detail achievable in the vertical direction of a 3D print, often measured in layer thickness.