3D Printing Glossary
Additive Manufacturing, Defined
Welcome to PADT’s online 3D Printing Glossary. A place to find definitions for the terms used in the Additive Manufacturing industry.
It is by no means authoritative nor a complete glossary of 3D printing terms, but it is currently the most comprehensive list of industry jargon that is freely available on the internet. We currently have 463 entries in our 3D Printing Glossary.
PADT has been a leader in additive manufacturing since we launched the company in 1994. And before that, our founders were users of what was then called “rapid prototyping” since the late 1980’s.
This 3D Printing Glossary is our take on the words used in the industry. But new processes and new terms come up every day. To that end, If you have a term you would like to see added to this 3D printing glossary, or a suggestion for a change to one of our definitions, please share your suggestions here or send an email to info@padtinc.com.
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3
- 3D File
- 3D Manufacturing Format
- 3D Printer
- 3D Printing
- 3MF
- 3SP
4
- 4D Printing
a
- Abrasive Blasting
- Abrasive Flow Machining
- Abrasive Fluids
- ABS
- Accuracy
- Acetone
- ACIS File
- Acrylic
- Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
- Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate
- Additive Layer Manufacturing
- Additive Manufacturing
- Additive Manufacturing File Format
- Additive Manufacturing Machine
- Additive Manufacturing System
- Additive System
- Adhesion
- Aerogel
- AFM
- ALM
- Alumide
- AM
- AMF
- Amorphous
- Anisotropic
- Area Printing
- ASA
- As Built
- ASCII
- As Designed
- Assembly
- ASTM Additive Manufacturing Processes
- Axis Binding
b
- BAAM
- Ballistic Particle Manufacturing
- BASS
- Batch
- Bead Blasting
- Beam Diameter
- Bed
- Belt Drive
- Big Area Additive Manufacturing
- Binary
- Binder
- Binder Jetting
- Bio-ink
- Biomimicry
- Biopolymer
- Bioprinter
- Bioprinting
- BJT
- BMD
- BMD
- Bottom Curing System
- Boundary Representation Geometry
- Bounding Box
- Bound Metal Deposition
- Bound Metal Deposition
- Bowden Extruder
- BPM
- Breakaway Support Material
- Break Away Support Structure
- Breakout Station
- Bridging
- Brim
- Build Area
- Build Chamber
- Build Coordinate System
- Build Cycle
- Build Direction
- Build Envelope
- Build Height
- Build Layer
- Build Material
- Build Origin
- Build Parameters
- Build Plate
- Build Platform
- Build Space
- Build Surface
- Build Time
- Build Volume
c
- CAD
- CAD File
- Caking
- CAL
- Calibration
- CAM
- Carriage
- Cartridge
- CEM
- Centrifugal Barrel Finishing
- Ceramic
- Ceramic Injection Molding
- Cermet
- Chassis
- Chopped Fiber
- Chord Height
- CLIP
- CMB
- CMB File
- CNC
- Composite Extrusion Modeling
- Composite Material
- Compressed File
- Computed Axial Lithography
- Computed Axial Lithography
- Computed Axial Lithography
- Computed Tomography Scan
- Computer Aided Design
- Computer Aided Manufacturing
- Computerized Numerical Control
- Conformal Cooling
- Continuous Fiber
- Continuous Liquid Interface Production
- Contour
- Controlled Metal Buildup
- Cool Down
- Coordinate Machine Binary
- Copolymer
- Cross-Link
- Crystalline
- CT
- Cupping
- Cure
- Cure Temperature
- Curing
- Curl
d
- Datum
- De-Binder
- DED
- Delamination
- Depowdering
- Desiccant
- Design for Additive Manufacturing
- Desktop 3D Printing
- DfAM
- DiAM
- Digital Light Processing
- Digital Light Synthesis
- Digital Material
- Digital Sculpting
- Diode-based Additive Manufacturing
- Direct Drive
- Directed Energy Deposition
- Direct Ink Writing
- Direct Laser Melting
- Direct Metal Deposition
- Direct Metal Laser Melting
- Direct Metal Laser Sintering
- Direct-Write
- Distortion
- Distortion Compensation
- DIW
- d-Limonene
- DLM
- DLP
- DLS
- DMD
- DMLM
- DMLS
- DOD
- Drill Guide
- Drop on Demand
- Dual Extrusion
- Dyeing
e
- EBM
- EDM
- Elastomer
- Electrical Discharge Machining
- Electron Beam
- Electron Beam Melting
- Electrostatic Discharge Materials
- Encrypted File
- End Part
- Endstop
- End Use Part
- Epoxy
- ESD
- EUP
- Extruder
- Extrusion
- Extrusion Multiplier
- Extrusion Nozzle
f
- Facet
- Faceted Geometry
- FDM
- Feature
- Feeder
- Feed Region
- Feedstock
- FEP
- FEP Film
- FFF
- FGF
- Filament
- Fill Density
- Film Transfer Imaging
- Fixture
- Flowable Metal Paste
- Fluorinated ethylene propylene
- FMP
- Frame
- Freeform Fabrication
- Front
- FTI
- Fully Dense
- Functional Prototype
- Fused Deposition Modeling
- Fused Filament Fabrication
- Fused Granulate Fabrication
- Fusing
- Fusion
g
- Galvo
- Gantry
- Gas Nitriding
- G-Code
- GDP
- Gelatin Methacrylate
- Gel Dispensed Printing
- GelMA
- Generative Design
- Geometry
- Geometry Kernel
- Glass Transition Temperature
- Granular Materials Binding
- Graphene
- Green Part
- Grit Blast
h
- Hardcoat
- Hardening
- Heat Affected Zone
- Heat Deflection
- Heated Bed
- Heat Treat
- Heat Zone
- High Impact Polystyrene
- High Speed Sintering
- HIP
- HIPS
- Hobby 3D Printer
- Hot End
- Hot Isostatic Pressing
- HPS
- HSS
- Hybrid Manufacturing
- Hybrid PhotoSynthesis
- Hybrid System
- Hydrogel
- Hydrographics
- Hydrolysis
- Hygroscopic
i
- iCLIP
- IGES
- Industrial 3D Printers
- Inert Gas
- Infill
- Infill Density
- Injection CLIP
- Injection Molding
- Inkjet
- Insert
- In Situ Monitoring
- Investment Casting
- Isotropic
j
- Jig
k
- Kapton Tape
- Kiln Furniture
l
- Laminated Object Manufacturing
- Laser
- Laser Cladding
- Laser Cusing
- Laser Engineered Net Shaping
- Laser Powder Bed Fusion
- Laser Powder Forming
- Laser Sintering
- Lattice
- Layer
- Layer Count
- Layer Thickness
- LCD Masking
- LDEPD
- LDM
- Lead Screw
- LENS
- Light-Directed Electrophoretic Deposition
- Lightweighting
- Limit Switch
- Limonene
- Linear Bearing
- LOM
- Low-Temperature Deposition Modeling
- LPBF
- L-PBF
- LPF
- LS
m
- Machine Bounding Box
- Machine Coordinate System
- Machine Home
- Machine Origin
- Machine Zero Point
- Maker 3D Printer
- Manufacturing Lot
- Master Bounding Box
- Material Extrusion
- Material Jetting
- Material Supplier
- Maximum Layer Thickness
- MCAD
- Mechanical Computer Aided Design
- Media Blasting
- Melted and Extruded Modeling
- Melting
- Melting Temperature
- Melt Pool
- MEM
- MEMS
- Metal
- Metal Injection Molding
- Metal Powder Bed Fusion
- Metrology
- MEX
- Microelectromechanical Systems
- Microstructure
- MIM
- Minimum Layer Thickness
- Mirror Galvanometer
- MJ
- MJF
- MJP
- MJS
- MJT
- MMD
- Model Material
- Mold
- Molding
- Molten Metal Deposition
- Monomer
- MPBF
- Multi Jet Fusion
- MultiJet Printing
- Multiphase Jet Solidification
- Multi-step Process
n
- Nanoparticle Jetting
- Native Format
- Near Net Shape
- Nesting
- Neutral File
- Nozzle
- NPJ
- Number of Layers
- NURBS
- Nylon
o
- OBJ
- Open Curve
- Orientation
- Orthotropic
- Overcure
- Overflow Region
- Overhang
- Overlap
p
- P3
- PA
- Packing
- PAEK
- Parasolid File
- Part
- Part Cake
- Part Consolidation
- Part Holder
- Part Location
- PBF
- PBT
- PC
- PCL
- Pedestal
- PEEK
- PEI
- PEK
- PEKK
- Pellet
- Perimeter
- PETG
- PHA
- Photocure
- Photopolymer
- Photopolymerization
- Pillowing
- PIM
- PJP
- PJP
- PLA
- Plasma Jet Printing
- Plastic
- Plastic Injection Molding
- Plastic Jet Printing
- PMMA
- Polyamide
- Polyaryletherketone
- Polybutylene terephthalate
- Polycaprolactone
- Polycarbonate
- Polyetheretherketone
- Polyetherimide
- Polyetherketone
- Polyetherketoneketone
- Polyethylene Terephthalateglycol
- Polyhydroxyalkanoates
- PolyJet
- Polylactic Acid
- Polymer
- Polymethyl methacrylate
- Polyphenylene Sulfide
- Polyphenylsulfone
- Polypropolene
- Polytetrafluoroethylene
- Polyurethane
- Polyvinyl Alcohol
- Porosity
- Post-Processing
- Powder Batch
- Powder Bed
- Powder Bed Fusion
- Powder Blend
- Powder Coating
- Powder Lot
- PP
- PPS
- PPSF
- PPSU
- Pre-Processing
- Process Monitoring
- Process Parameters
- Process Simulation
- Product Definition
- Production Part
- Production Run
- Production Run
- Programmable PhotoPolymerization
- Prototype
- Prototype Tooling
- PTFE
- PU
- PUR
- PVA
q
- QuickCast
r
- Raft
- Rapid Prototyping
- Rapid Tooling
- Reactive Material
- Reactive Metals
- Recoater Blade
- Repeatability
- Resin
- Resin Removal System
- Resolution
- Retraction
- Reverse Photo Lithography
- Reverse Photo Topography
- RP
- RPT
- RT
s
- SAF
- Sand Casting
- SBAM
- SCA
- Scaffolding
- Scan Pattern
- Scan, Spin, and Selective Photocure
- Screw Drive
- SDB
- SDL
- Seam
- Selective Absorption Fusion
- Selective Deposition Lamination
- Selective Diffusion Bonding
- Selective Heat Sintering
- Selective Laser Melting
- Selective Laser Reaction Sintering
- Selective Laser Sintering
- Selective Thermoplastic Electrophotographic Process
- Self-Assembly
- Self-Supporting Angle
- Service Provider
- SFF
- SGC
- Sheet Lamination
- Shell
- Shell Thickness
- SHL
- Shot Peening
- Shrinkage Compensation
- SHS
- Single-step Process
- Sinter
- Sinter Based Additive Manufacturing
- Sintered
- Sintering
- Skirt
- SLA
- Slice
- Slicer
- SLM
- SLRS
- SLS
- Solid Freeform Fabrication
- Solid Geometry
- Solid Ground Curing
- Solid Model
- Soluble Support Material
- Spool
- Stair Steps
- STEP
- STEP File
- Stepper Motor
- STEP Process
- Stereolithography
- STL File
- Stress Relief
- Stringing
- Substrate
- Subtractive Manufacturing
- Support Cleaning Apparatus
- Supporting Angle
- Support Material
- Support Removal System
- Supports
- Support Volume
- Surface Angle
- Surface Finish
- Surface Model
- System Set-up
t
- Tank
- Teflon
- Text File
- Thermal Stress
- Thermistor
- Thermoplastic
- Thermoplastic Elastomer
- Thermoplastic Polyurethane
- Thermoset Plastic
- Tip Diameter
- Tooling
- Tool Path
- Top Curing System
- Topological Optimization
- Topology
- Topology Optimization
- TPE
- TPU
- Traditional Manufacturing
- Travel
- Travel Speed
- Triangulation
- Tribecular
- Tumbling
u
- UAM
- UC
- ULTEM
- Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing
- Ultrasonic Consolidation
- Ultraviolet Light
- Used Powder
- UV Light
v
- Valid Solid Model
- VAM
- Vapor Smoothing
- Vat
- Vat Photopolymerization
- Virgin
- Viscosity
- Viscous Lithography Manufacturing
- VLM
- Volumetric 3D Printing
- Volumetric Additive Manufacturing
- Volumetric Additive Manufacturing
- Volumetric Additive Manufacturing
- Volumetric Pixel
- Voxel
- Voxelfill
- VPP
w
- Wall Thickness
- Warm Up Time
- Warping
- Watertight Solid
- Water Transfer Printing
- Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing
- Wire EDM
x
- X-Axis
- X-Y Plane
y
- Y-Axis
z
- Z-Axis
- Z-Direction
- Zero Point
- Z-Height
- Zipped File
If you can not find what you are looking for in PADT’s 3D Printing Glossary, please fill out our request form and we will look it up and get it added to our listing.
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PADT’s 3D Printing Glossary is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
