3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model . [1] It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control , [2] with material being added together (such as plastics, liquids or powder grains being fused), typically layer by layer.
In the 1980s, 3D printing techniques were considered suitable only for the production of functional or aesthetic prototypes, and a more appropriate term for it at the time was rapid prototyping . [3] As of 2019 [update] , the precision, repeatability, and material range of 3D printing have increased to the point that some 3D printing processes are considered viable as an industrial-production technology, whereby the term additive manufacturing can be used synonymously with 3D printing . [4] One of the key a
The umbrella term additive manufacturing (AM) gained popularity in the 2000s, [7] inspired by the theme of material being added together ( in any of various ways ). In contrast, the term subtractive manufacturing appeared as a retronym for the large family of machining processes with material removal as their common process. The term 3D printing still referred only to the polymer technologies in most minds, and the term AM was more likely to be used in metalworking and end-use part production contexts than