PLA
material
Polylactic acid, the most widely used FDM material. Biodegradable and easy to print at 190 to 220 C. Limited heat resistance, softening around 60 to 65 C.
Every term that comes up around 3D printing and additive manufacturing, defined in a sentence or two. No marketing, no filler: what the word means, and the number that goes with it where a number exists.
material
Polylactic acid, the most widely used FDM material. Biodegradable and easy to print at 190 to 220 C. Limited heat resistance, softening around 60 to 65 C.
material
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, an engineering thermoplastic. Needs 230 to 260 C and an enclosed chamber, because it warps.
material
Polyethylene terephthalate glycol, the middle ground between PLA and ABS. Easy to print, durable, and chemically resistant.
material
Thermoplastic polyurethane, a flexible elastomer with 400 to 600 percent elongation. Needs a direct drive extruder.
material
Polyamide, strong and abrasion resistant. Strongly hygroscopic, so drying before printing is not optional.
material
Polycarbonate, with high heat resistance to 130 C, impact strength and optical clarity. Needs 260 to 310 C.
material
Polyether ether ketone, a high performance polymer usable to 250 C. Biocompatible and chemically inert, but it needs a specialised machine.
material
Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate, the UV stable alternative to ABS for parts that live outdoors.
material
A liquid resin that cures under UV light. The base material for SLA, DLP and LCD printing.
material
The most common titanium alloy in additive manufacturing, used in aerospace and medical parts.
material
A nickel superalloy, grades 625 and 718, for service above 700 C. Turbine blades and jet engine components.
material
Polyamide 12, the standard SLS powder. Good chemical resistance and lower moisture uptake than PA6.
material
Polyamide 11, a bio based polyamide made from castor oil. More elastic than PA12 and tougher on impact.
material
Polyetherimide, grades ULTEM 9085 and 1010, an aerospace thermoplastic with flame, smoke and toxicity certification. Usable to 217 C.
material
Polyvinyl alcohol, a water soluble support material for dual extruder FDM. Dissolves in water in 12 to 24 hours.
material
High impact polystyrene, a support material that dissolves in limonene. The alternative to PVA for ABS based prints.
material
Carbon fibre filled nylon, markedly stiffer and stronger at lower weight. Needs a hardened nozzle.
material
Glass fibre filled nylon, with better dimensional stability and heat resistance than unfilled nylon.
material
Polypropylene, chemically resistant, light and flexible. Hard to print because it warps badly and sticks to almost nothing.
material
Polyoxymethylene, sold as Delrin, an engineering plastic with low friction and high strength. Very difficult on FDM because of shrinkage.
material
General purpose UV resin for SLA and DLP. Fine detail but brittle, so it suits prototypes and display models.
material
Impact resistant resin that imitates ABS, with more elongation than standard resin.
material
Elastic photopolymer resin at Shore A 50 to 80. For seals, soft grips and rubber like prototypes.
material
Resin for investment casting that burns out without residue at 700 C. Used in jewellery and dental work.
material
Biocompatible class IIa resin for crowns, splints and surgical guides. FDA and CE certified.
material
Medical resin to ISO 10993 for implants, surgical guides and prosthetics. Can be sterilised.
material
Resin loaded with ceramic particles that sinters into dense ceramic, for electronics and thermal applications.
material
An aluminium alloy for metal 3D printing. Light, with good thermal conductivity, and widely used in aerospace.
material
Copper alloys for additive manufacturing, such as CuCrZr and CuNi2SiCr. High thermal and electrical conductivity, used for mould inserts and heat exchangers.
material
PA12 blended with aluminium powder for SLS. A metallic look with good dimensional stability, popular for industrial prototypes.
material
Carbon fibre filled PETG, stiffer and more dimensionally stable than plain PETG. Needs a hardened nozzle.
material
PLA with 20 to 40 percent wood particles. Looks and sands like wood and takes varnish. Prints at 190 to 220 C.
material
PLA loaded with bronze, copper or steel powder. Heavy, and it can be polished to a metallic shine.
material
PLA with a silk finish that gives a glossy, smooth surface with no post processing. Popular for decorative prints.
material
PLA with phosphorescent particles that glows in the dark after light exposure. Abrasive, so use a hardened nozzle.
process
Fused Deposition Modeling, printing by extruding molten filament. Invented by S. Scott Crump in 1989.
process
Fused Filament Fabrication, the open source name for FDM, coined by the RepRap community.
process
Stereolithography, the first 3D printing technology, by Chuck Hull in 1984. A UV laser cures photopolymer resin point by point.
process
Digital Light Processing, where a projector exposes a whole layer at once through a DMD chip. Faster than SLA on larger models.
process
Masked SLA, where an LCD panel masks a UV LED array. The cheap and widely available resin technology.
process
Selective Laser Sintering, a laser sintering polymer powder such as PA12 or PA11. Needs no support structures.
process
Direct Metal Laser Sintering, laser sintering of metal powder for functional metal parts.
process
Selective Laser Melting, fully melting metal powder for maximum density above 99.5 percent.
process
Electron Beam Melting, using an electron beam in vacuum at 700 to 1000 C. Leaves no residual stress.
process
Multi material jetting that deposits different photopolymers at once for multi colour and multi material models.
process
Jetting a binder onto a powder bed of metal, gypsum or sand.
process
Multi Jet Fusion by HP, applying fusing and detailing agents to PA12 powder and fusing with an infrared lamp. Fast and accurate.
process
Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, where a welding arc melts metal wire. High volume at low cost.
process
Continuous Liquid Interface Production by Carbon, printing continuously through an oxygen inhibited dead zone.
process
Jetting droplets of photopolymer or wax that cure under UV. High accuracy and full colour.
process
Bonding or ultrasonically welding sheet material, paper, metal or composite, layer by layer.
process
A laser or electron beam melts metal powder or wire directly onto a surface. Used for repair and for adding features to existing parts.
process
Extruding plastic pellets instead of filament. Cheaper feedstock and up to ten times faster on large format machines.
process
Nano scale 3D printing below 100 nm resolution, using a focused femtosecond laser.
process
Additive and subtractive manufacturing in one machine: printing plus CNC milling for high accuracy.
process
Metal particles accelerated to supersonic speed deform on impact and bond without melting.
process
A thermal print head sinters thermoplastic powder layer by layer. A cheaper office friendly alternative to SLS.
process
An inkjet head deposits infrared absorbing ink onto powder, then an infrared lamp sinters the marked areas.
process
Carbon's evolution of CLIP, adding a programmable thermal post cure to reach engineering properties.
process
The whole object forms at once through holographic or tomographic projection into resin.
process
Continuous carbon, glass or aramid fibre laid into a thermoplastic matrix during printing. Strength approaching aluminium.
process
Additive manufacturing above one metre, for furniture, boats and construction elements. Usually pellet extrusion or WAAM.
hardware
The mechanism that feeds filament. Two kinds: direct drive, mounted on the head, and Bowden, mounted on the frame with a PTFE tube.
hardware
An extruder with the motor directly on the print head. More precise, especially with TPU, but heavier.
hardware
An extruder with the motor on the frame, connected by a PTFE tube. Lighter, but less precise with flexible materials.
hardware
The heated end of the print head: heat block, nozzle and heat break. This is what melts the filament.
hardware
The 0.2 to 1.0 mm orifice the molten material is extruded through. The standard is 0.4 mm brass.
hardware
A heated surface at 50 to 120 C that improves adhesion and reduces warping.
hardware
A closed chamber around the printer. Effectively mandatory for ABS, PC and nylon to prevent warping.
hardware
A precise electric motor that moves in discrete steps, usually 1.8 degrees per step. It drives the axes and the extruder.
hardware
A precise linear motion mechanism with minimal play. It replaces rods and rollers on modern printers.
hardware
A trapezoidal screw for Z axis motion, with a 2 to 8 mm pitch. Accuracy depends on the quality of the screw.
hardware
A GT2 toothed belt for fast X and Y motion. It needs correct tension to stay accurate.
hardware
The surface the model is built on: glass, PEI coated spring steel or a perforated board.
hardware
Automatic bed levelling through a probe such as BLTouch, inductive or capacitive, compensating for an uneven surface.
hardware
A sensor that detects filament presence and pauses the print when the spool runs out or the filament jams.
hardware
Fluorinated ethylene propylene film at the bottom of the resin vat on SLA and DLP machines. UV transparent and non stick.
hardware
Nano textured FEP that lowers peel forces during printing and lasts longer than standard FEP.
hardware
The array of 405 nm UV diodes in an LCD or MSLA printer. How evenly it lights the panel decides print quality.
hardware
Galvanometer mirrors that steer the laser beam in SLA, SLS and SLM machines, at speeds up to 10 m/s.
hardware
An evenly spread layer of polymer or metal powder that the laser or infrared lamp acts on.
hardware
The roller or blade that spreads each new powder layer. It is critical to layer uniformity.
hardware
The fan cooling the hot end heatsink. It runs constantly to prevent heat creep.
hardware
The fan cooling the layer just printed. Critical for PLA and for bridging, usually a 5015 blower.
hardware
The thermal barrier between hot end and cold end that stops heat travelling upward. Titanium or bimetal.
hardware
A sacrificial tower used to purge the nozzle during multi material or multi colour printing. It costs extra material.
software
The software that turns a 3D model into G-code instructions for the printer. Cura, PrusaSlicer and OrcaSlicer are the common ones.
software
The standard control language for CNC machines and 3D printers: coordinates, temperatures and speeds.
software
Computer Aided Design, software for 3D modelling. Fusion 360, SolidWorks and Tinkercad are typical examples.
software
Design for Additive Manufacturing, designing specifically for 3D printing: topology optimisation, lattice structures and printable geometry.
software
Computer Aided Manufacturing, software that generates machine instructions from a 3D model.
software
Automatic repair of polygon mesh errors: holes, flipped normals and self intersections. Meshmixer and Netfabb are the usual tools.
software
Wavefront OBJ, a 3D model format that carries colour and texture coordinates. Richer than STL.
software
3D Manufacturing Format, Microsoft's modern replacement for STL. Carries colour, materials, supports and build information in one file.
software
Standard for the Exchange of Product Data, ISO 10303, the format for exact CAD models as BREP solids. No geometry is lost.
software
Additive Manufacturing File Format, ISO/ASTM 52915, supporting materials, lattices and curved surfaces.
software
An algorithm that distributes material optimally for the given loads. The result is an organic, light structure.
software
Generating lattice structures, such as gyroid, octet or TPMS, to lighten a part and control its mechanical behaviour.
software
Algorithm driven design that produces many candidate solutions from the constraints and loads you state.
software
Automatically arranging many parts in the build volume for maximum efficiency. Critical for SLS and MJF.
software
Remote monitoring, queue management and fleet management for 3D printers. OctoPrint and Obico are common examples.
quality
The foundation of the whole print. The right height and bed temperature decide whether anything above it survives.
quality
The smallest step in the horizontal plane, set by the mechanics on FDM or by pixel size on an LCD machine.
quality
The smallest step on the vertical axis. On FDM it depends on the lead screw, on SLA on the Z platform step.
quality
The difference between the designed and the actual size. Typically plus or minus 0.1 to 0.3 mm on FDM and 0.05 mm on SLA.
quality
Surface quality, set by layer height, orientation and post processing. Measured as Ra in micrometres.
quality
The first layers bulging outward from too much squish or too hot a bed. Fixed with Z offset or elephant foot compensation.
quality
Wave like echoes on the surface after sharp corners, caused by vibration and inertia at high speed.
quality
The visible seam up the Z axis where each layer starts and ends. It can be hidden in a corner or randomised.
quality
Printing horizontally between two supported points with no support underneath. It needs good cooling and the right speed.
quality
Part of the model with nothing beneath it. Beyond 45 degrees it usually needs support.
quality
How well adjacent layers bond, which sets the Z strength of the part. It depends on temperature and cooling.
quality
Layers separating because they never bonded properly. A common failure with ABS and nylon.
quality
Too little material laid down: thin walls, gaps and weak layers. Usually a partly blocked nozzle or a wrong flow rate.
quality
Too much material laid down: rough surfaces, blobs and oversized dimensions. Fixed by calibrating e-steps and flow.
quality
Small bumps on the surface from pressure held in the nozzle. Fixed by tuning retraction and wipe.
quality
An uneven top surface with pillow like gaps, from too little infill or too few top layers.
quality
The whole upper part of the print offset sideways. Missed steps, a loose belt or an overheating driver.
quality
Partial or complete blockage of the nozzle. Contaminated filament, heat creep or carbonised material.
quality
Heat travelling up the hot end so the filament softens before the nozzle and jams the feed.
quality
Filament that has absorbed moisture from the air. It pops, strings and prints rough. Dry it for 4 to 8 hours.
quality
The part letting go of the bed mid print. A cold bed, a dirty surface, or no brim or raft.
quality
Total print failure where the printer keeps extruding into thin air after the model comes loose. Prevented by monitoring.
design
The thickness of the model's walls. A minimum of 0.8 mm on FDM, which is two perimeters. It decides strength and printability.
design
The angle of an overhang from vertical. Beyond 45 degrees it usually needs support, depending on material and cooling.
design
Temporary structure holding up overhanging geometry. Linear, tree or dissolvable, and removed after printing.
design
The geometry of the internal fill: grid, gyroid, honeycomb or lightning. Each has a different strength to weight ratio.
design
The outer contour walls of the model. More perimeters means stronger walls, and two to four is the usual range.
design
A flat lattice base printed under the model for better adhesion. It uses more material and leaves a rough underside.
design
Flat concentric lines around the base of the model that add contact area and adhesion. Easy to remove afterwards.
design
Contour lines around the model without touching it. They purge the nozzle and show you the levelling before the real print starts.
design
A 45 degree cut edge. Preferred over a fillet on FDM because it avoids an overhang and prints cleanly.
design
A rounded edge that reduces stress concentration. On FDM it may need support if it sits on a downward face.
design
The allowed deviation from nominal size. For FDM assemblies, usually 0.2 to 0.4 mm per side.
design
The gap between moving or assembled parts. On FDM, at least 0.3 to 0.5 mm for free movement.
design
A taper that makes a part easier to release from a mould. In 3D printing it also improves the quality of vertical walls.
design
Raised or recessed text and symbols. Keep at least 0.5 mm depth and a font above 8 pt to stay legible.
design
An elastic hook that assembles parts without fasteners. It depends on the material having the right flexibility.
design
A part pushed tightly into a hole. On FDM the tolerance is usually minus 0.1 to minus 0.2 mm.
design
A thin flexible section joining two rigid parts, used for lids and hinges. It works well in PP and TPU.
design
A wall one to two extrusion widths thick. It needs careful calibration or it prints with gaps.
design
How the part sits in the build volume. It changes strength through Z anisotropy, support, surface finish and print time.
post-processing
Working through grits 120, 240, 400 and 800 for a smooth surface. Wet sanding cuts the dust and gives a better finish.
post-processing
Applying filler primer before paint. It fills the layer lines and prepares the surface.
post-processing
Painting printed parts with acrylics or spray. Primer and sanding first is what separates a good result from a plastic one.
post-processing
Acetone vapour smoothing for ABS and ASA, dissolving the surface to a glossy finish. The vapour is toxic, so ventilate.
post-processing
Curing resin prints under a 405 nm lamp or in sunlight for 10 to 30 minutes. It completes polymerisation and raises strength.
post-processing
Thermal and UV post processing of SLA and DLP parts in a dedicated chamber at 60 to 80 C for full properties.
post-processing
Heat treatment of metal additive parts to relieve residual stress and improve the microstructure.
post-processing
Heating PLA or PETG to its glass transition point to improve heat and mechanical resistance.
post-processing
Taking supports off by hand with pliers or a scalpel, mechanically, or chemically by dissolving PVA or HIPS.
post-processing
Cutting a thread into a printed part with a tap, starting from a pilot hole printed at the right diameter.
post-processing
Setting heat set threaded inserts with a soldering iron at 200 to 230 C for a strong, reusable threaded joint.
post-processing
An epoxy resin coat for water tightness, strength and a smooth finish. Brushed on or dipped.
post-processing
Electrochemical plating with nickel, copper or chrome over a conductive layer. It gives a genuinely metallic surface and properties.
post-processing
Electrostatically applied powder baked at 180 to 200 C. A tough, even coating.
post-processing
Dipping white PA12 SLS or MJF parts in textile dye at 80 to 100 C. The colour penetrates 0.5 to 1 mm.
post-processing
A rotating drum with abrasive media that smooths and polishes parts. Ideal for SLS and MJF production runs.
post-processing
Air driven abrasive, glass beads or corundum, for an even matt surface.
post-processing
A solvent such as acetone, THF or limonene dissolving the surface under control. The solvent is specific to each polymer.
post-processing
Filling gaps and defects with filler, cyanoacrylate or UV resin before sanding and painting.
post-processing
Joining several printed parts with cyanoacrylate, epoxy, solvent welding or mechanical fasteners.
quality
The thickness of each printed layer, typically 0.05 to 0.3 mm. Thinner is smoother and slower.
quality
Corners lifting as the part cools. The main problem with ABS and nylon, answered with a heated bed, an enclosure and a brim.
design
The internal fill of the model, from 10 to 100 percent. More is stronger but slower and uses more material.
general
How well the first layer sticks to the bed. Improved with a heated bed, an adhesive, and a brim or raft.
quality
Unwanted threads between parts of the model, caused by poor retraction settings.
general
A material's tendency to absorb moisture from the air. It affects nylon, PETG, PC and PVA.
general
Finishing work on a printed object: sanding, painting, vapour smoothing, annealing and UV curing.
general
Building a 3D model from an existing physical object through 3D scanning and CAD reconstruction.
general
The fourth industrial revolution: IoT, AI, digital twins and connected manufacturing.
general
Standard Tessellation Language, the standard 3D printing file format. It describes a surface as triangles.
general
A material or object with the same properties in every direction. The opposite of anisotropic, and rare in 3D printed parts.
general
A material or object with different properties in different directions. On FDM the Z axis is always the weak one, because of the layers.
general
A polymer that cures irreversibly under heat or UV and cannot be remelted, unlike a thermoplastic. Epoxy and photopolymer resin are examples.
general
The general term for building an object layer by layer from a digital model. ISO/ASTM 52900 defines seven categories.
general
Traditional manufacturing by removing material: CNC milling, turning and drilling. The opposite of additive.
general
A polymer that can be melted and reshaped repeatedly. The basis of FDM: PLA, ABS, PETG and nylon.
general
The printer's maximum build space in X, Y and Z. It sets the largest part you can print in one piece.
general
Pulling filament back from the nozzle to prevent stringing while travelling. The two settings that matter are distance and speed.
general
The percentage of material extruded against the calculated amount, where 100 percent is nominal. The fine adjustment for differences between filaments.
general
How fast the print head moves, typically 30 to 300 mm/s. Faster costs quality, unless input shaping is compensating for it.
general
Replicating Rapid Prototyper, the open source self replicating printer project started by Adrian Bowyer in 2005. The root of the desktop FDM revolution.
software
Printer firmware that offloads processing to a Raspberry Pi. Input shaping, pressure advance and higher speeds than Marlin.
software
The most widely used open source firmware for FDM printers, running on 8 and 32 bit controllers such as ATmega and STM32.
software
An open source web server for remote control and monitoring of 3D printers, usually on a Raspberry Pi.
hardware
Polytetrafluoroethylene, known as Teflon, used for Bowden tubes and hot end liners. Maximum service temperature 240 to 260 C.
hardware
Trinamic stepper drivers such as TMC2209 and TMC5160. Quiet printing with StealthChop and precise control with SpreadCycle.
hardware
The printer's control board, driving motors, heaters and sensors. 32 bit boards on STM32 are now standard.
hardware
The belt tensioning mechanism. It is what keeps motion accurate and ghosting away.
hardware
The sensor used for automatic bed levelling: BLTouch, inductive, capacitive or eddy current such as Beacon.
general
A moisture absorbing agent, usually silica gel, for filament storage. Essential for nylon, PVA and PC.
hardware
A device that dries filament at 40 to 70 C, either standalone or built into the printer.
hardware
Automatic Material System by Bambu Lab, switching between up to four filaments for multi colour printing, with drying built in.
software
An algorithm that cancels vibration at high print speed. It removes ghosting without making you slow down.
software
An algorithm that compensates for pressure in the nozzle. It sharpens corners and prevents blobs when speed changes.
design
A second pass of the nozzle across the top surface at minimal flow, smoothing it to a near mirror finish.
design
Branching support that touches the model only at points, leaving minimal marks and using less material than linear support.
design
The evolution of tree support with smooth curves, in OrcaSlicer and PrusaSlicer. Very easy to remove and barely marks the part.
design
Placing the Z seam by hand in the slicer, painting it onto the model to hide it where nobody looks.
design
Varying layer height automatically: thin layers for detail, thick layers for plain sections. It saves time without losing quality.
design
A randomised, textured outer surface. A slicer feature for decorative parts and for grip.
general
A virtual copy of a physical object or process, simulated in real time from IoT sensor data for predictive analysis.
process
Bonding powder particles by heating below the melting point. The basis of SLS, MJF and the binder jetting post process.