3D Printing

Design Engineering

Additive manufacturing

building a part by adding material layer by layer

Layer height

the thickness of one printed layer

Anisotropic

stronger in some directions than others

Support

temporary material that holds up overhangs

Overhang

a surface that leans out over empty space

Bridge

a flat span printed across a gap

Stair-stepping

the visible steps on slopes and curves

Thermoplastic

plastic that melts again when heated

Thermoset

plastic that hardens for good once cured

Photopolymer resin

liquid plastic that hardens under light

Post-cure

extra UV light that makes resin parts fully hard

Sintering

fusing powder with heat without fully melting it

Escape or drain hole

an opening that lets trapped powder or resin out

Tolerance

how far a size can be off from the CAD size

Clearance

the designed gap between two parts

Break-even

the quantity where tooling becomes cheaper than printing