Home › Libraries › Technologies 3D Printing Technologies 20 additive manufacturing technologies
Every 3D printing technology in one place: extrusion (FDM), photopolymerization (SLA, DLP, mSLA), powder-bed fusion (SLS, MJF), metal (DMLS, EBM) and bioprinting. For each: how it works, materials, applications.
Bio-printing · DIW + living cells. tissue scaffolds, organ-on-chip, drug testing. not full orga BJT (Binder Jetting) · inkjet head deposits binder into powder bed. no laser, no melt. metal/sand/ceram CJP (Color Jet Printing) · BJT for full-color prototypes. gypsum powder + CMYK binder + clear glue. fast, c CLIP (Carbon Continuous Liquid Interface Production) · DLP, but continuous (no peel). 100× faster. real end-use elastomers (Adidas, BMW DIW (Direct Ink Writing) · extrusion of non-melt pastes and gels. ceramics, concrete, food, drug, bio-tissu DLP (Digital Light Processing) · SLA but with a DLP projector: entire layer cured at once. fast. build area limi DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) · metal version of SLS. fiber laser melts metal powder in inert chamber. titanium, EBM (Electron Beam Melting) · metal PBF, but with electron beam instead of laser. vacuum, high temperature, ex FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) · the 3D printing reference. heated nozzle extruding thermoplastic filament layer FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) · same as FDM, different name: "FDM" is a Stratasys trademark, so the open-source FGF (Fused Granulate / Pellet Extrusion) · large-scale FDM. pellets instead of filament. 10× cheaper material: used for fu LOM (Laminated Object Manufacturing) · sheets of paper/plastic/metal glued and cut with CO₂ laser/blade. historical AM, MJF (HP Multi Jet Fusion) · SLS alternative, but no laser. inkjet head deposits fusing + detailing agents → MSLA / LCD (Masked Stereolithography) · DLP, but with an LCD mask instead of a projector. €200 machine, 4K–12K resolutio PolyJet (Material Jetting) · inkjet printer, but for UV-curable resin. multi-material + full-color voxel-by-v Sand-BJ (Sand Casting Binder Jetting) · BJT for foundry molds + cores. silica sand + furan binder. 1-2 m³ mold in 24h. c SLA (Stereolithography) · the first 3D printing technology. UV laser scans resin in a VAT. excellent surfa SLM (Selective Laser Melting) · technically identical to DMLS: "melting" is the more accurate term. different c SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) · CO₂ laser sinters PA12 powder in a heated chamber. no supports: the powder bed WAAM (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing) · industrial welding robot: but printing instead of welding. Ti, steel, Al: part