3D Printing Technology Animations

Update: 

We recentlly used these animations for a presentation and realized that this post is so incredibly old that we call everything Rapid Prototyping. In the years since this was written, the industry has shifted to using the terms 3D Printing and Additive Manufaturing.  So we went through and updated it so people can find it easier in search engines. 

Additive Manufacturing has changed a lot since these were made and we do hope to soon update these animations, and add new technologies we did not cover.    – Eric Miller  11/8/2019


Every once in a while we get asked to go out and do presentations on 3D Printing. As part of that, we like to explain the four most common. Additive Manufacturing technologies: SLA, SLS, FDM, and Polyjet. No matter how many hand gestures we use people just don’t seem to get it unless we show an animation.

So we thought it would be good to share those with the community so that they can either learn about the basics of the technology or use these to help educate others. They are crude, we are engineers and not artists.  But they get the point across and should help people understand Additive Manufacturing better.

They are in the form of animated GIF’s, so you can put them on a website or throw them in a PowerPoint and you don’t need a viewer or special software to view them.  Click on the images to get the larger version.  Then right-mouse-button to download to your computer.

Use as you see fit, just remember to mention where you found them: P – A – D – T.

FDM-Animation

PolyJet_Animation

SLA-Animation-3

SLS-Animation

Get Your Ansys Products & Support from the Engineers who Contribute to this Blog.

Technical Expertise to Enable your Additive Manufacturing Success.

Share this post:

Upcoming Events

Sep 08
, 2026
Accelerating Next-Generation Battery Innovation with Materials Simulation - Webinar
Sep 10
, 2026
Simulation World Houston - 2026
Sep 14
- Sep 19
, 2026
IMTS 2026
Sep 15
, 2026
Simulation for Data Center Cooling Infrastructure - Webinar
Sep 16
, 2026
Ansys Simulation Solutions for Electrical Machines - Webinar
Sep 16
, 2026
Entry-Level Structural, Thermal and Flow Simulation - Webinar
Sep 23
, 2026
AZTC September After 5
Sep 30
, 2026
The Role of the Digital Twin in Modern Design and Engineering - Webinar
Oct 07
, 2026
2026 AZBio Awards
Oct 08
, 2026
White Hat Life Science Investor Conference
Oct 13
- Oct 14
, 2026
Ansys Transportation Summit & International LS-DYNA User Conference
Oct 21
, 2026
2026 Southern Arizona Tech + Business Expo
Oct 22
, 2026
Tucson Ansys Optics User Group Meeting
Oct 28
, 2026
Nerdtoberfest 2026
Nov 15
- Nov 18
, 2026
2026 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
Nov 18
, 2026
2026 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation

Contact Us

Most of our customers receive their support over the phone or via email. Customers who are close by can also set up a face-to-face appointment with one of our engineers.

For most locations, simply contact us: