3D Printing

3D Printing


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3D printing or Additive Manufacturing?

Additive Manufacturing (AM), noun, the process of joining materials to make parts from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing and formative manufacturing technologies. (Source: ISO and ASTM (ISO/ASTM 52900:2015)).

Many historical terms have circulated and are still being used today: additive fabrication, additive processes, additive techniques, additive layer manufacturing, layer manufacturing, solid freeform fabrication, freeform fabrication and many more.
AM does not imply a certain application of the parts being produced like the definitions of the older terms. The standard further specifies the names of 7 categories of Additive Manufacturing technologies


  • Binder Jetting: AM process in which a liquid bonding agent is selectively deposited to join powder materials.
  • Directed Energy Deposition: AM process in which focused thermal energy is used to fuse materials by melting as they are being deposited.
  • Note 1 to entry: “Focused thermal energy” means that an energy source (for example: laser, electron beam, or plasma arc) is focused to melt the materials being deposited.
  • Material Extrusion: AM process in which material is selectively dispensed through a nozzle or orifice.
  • Material Jetting: AM process in which droplets of feedstock material are selectively deposited.
  • Note 1 to entry: Example feedstock materials for material jetting include photopolymer resin and wax.
  • Powder Bed Fusion: AM process in which thermal energy selectively fuses regions of a powder bed.
  • Sheet lamination: AM process in which sheets of material are bonded to form a part.
  • VAT Photopolymerisation: AM process in which liquid photopolymer in a vat is selectively cured by light-activated polymerization.