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3D Printing Glossary

60 3D printing and manufacturing terms explained in plain English — from additive manufacturing to wall thickness. Each term links to a guide that goes deeper.

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3D scanning

Measuring a physical object with a non-contact scanner to create a digital 3D model (a mesh). Used for reverse engineering, inspection and replacement parts.

3MF

A modern 3D file format that can store units, colours and materials in one file — useful for multi-colour and multi-material parts.

A

Additive manufacturing (AM)

The industrial term for 3D printing: building a part layer by layer from a digital file, adding material only where it is needed.

Anisotropy

When a part’s strength differs by direction. FDM parts are typically weakest between layers, so print orientation matters.

ASA

A tough engineering plastic similar to ABS but with better UV resistance, making it a good choice for outdoor parts.

B

Bridge production

Making parts to sell or test while injection-mould tooling is still being made — commonly with 3D printing or urethane casting.

Build volume

The largest part a printer can make in one piece. Our prototyping and industrial FDM printers build up to 500 × 500 × 500 mm.

C

CAD

Computer-aided design: software used to create the 3D models that parts are printed or machined from.

Carbon-fibre composites

Plastics reinforced with chopped or continuous carbon fibre for high stiffness and strength at low weight — popular for fixtures and robot grippers.

CNC machining

A subtractive process that cuts a part from a solid block with rotating tools. Often combined with 3D printing for tight-tolerance features.

D

DfAM

Design for additive manufacturing: designing parts to take full advantage of 3D printing — lighter, consolidated and optimised for the process.

Digital inventory

Storing validated part files instead of physical stock, and printing spare parts only when they are needed.

Draft angle

A slight taper on vertical walls that helps a part release from a mould. Essential for thermoforming and injection moulding.

E

Elastomer

A rubber-like, flexible material — such as TPU, silicone or PolyJet rubber-like materials — used for seals, grips and soft parts.

ESD-safe

Materials that dissipate static charge in a controlled way, protecting sensitive electronics during assembly and testing.

F

FDM

Fused deposition modelling: melting a plastic filament and extruding it layer by layer. Fast and economical for prototypes, fixtures and tooling.

Fixture

A device that holds and locates a part while work is done on it — for assembly, machining, testing or inspection.

Flame retardant (FR)

A material formulated to resist burning and self-extinguish. Often rated to the UL 94 standard, for example V-0.

FST

Flame, smoke and toxicity requirements for aircraft interiors, tested to standards such as FAR 25.853.

G

Glass-filled nylon

Nylon reinforced with glass beads or fibres for extra stiffness and dimensional stability, at the cost of some flexibility.

H

HDT (heat deflection temperature)

The temperature at which a standard test bar bends by a set amount under load. Used to compare how materials perform when hot.

I

Infill

The internal structure inside an FDM part. Lower infill saves material and time; our FDM services offer 10–80% infill.

Injection moulding

Forcing molten plastic into a machined mould. Very low cost per part at high volume, but the mould is expensive and slow to make.

Isotropic

Having the same properties in every direction. MJF produces parts with uniform mechanical properties in every direction.

J

Jig

A device that guides a tool — such as a drill guide — so every part is machined or assembled in exactly the same place.

L

Lattice

A repeating cell structure that replaces solid material to save weight, absorb energy or add flexibility.

Layer height

The thickness of each printed layer. Thinner layers give finer detail; our FDM services print at 50–300 μm.

M

Master pattern

The original part — often 3D printed — that a silicone mould is made from. Every detail on the master appears on every cast.

Mesh

A surface made of many small triangles that represents a 3D shape. STL, OBJ and 3MF files are meshes.

Metal 3D printing

Building fully metal parts layer by layer, in alloys such as stainless steel, titanium and Inconel.

MJF

HP Multi Jet Fusion: a powder-bed process that fuses nylon powder using jetted agents and heat, producing dense, support-free parts.

MRO

Maintenance, repair and operations: keeping equipment running, including sourcing spare and replacement parts.

N

NDA

Non-disclosure agreement: a contract that keeps your designs confidential. Available from Quick 3D on request.

Non-manifold

A mesh error where the surface has holes or impossible edges, so it is not a closed solid. Fix it in CAD before printing.

Nylon (PA11, PA12)

The most common powder-bed 3D printing materials: strong, tough and chemically resistant. PA12 is stiffer; PA11 is more ductile.

O

Orientation

How a part is positioned in the printer. It affects strength, surface finish, supports, accuracy and cost.

P

PEEK and PEKK

High-performance polymers with excellent heat, chemical and wear resistance — often used as lightweight metal replacements.

PEI (ULTEM™)

Polyetherimide: a strong, heat-resistant, inherently flame-retardant polymer. ULTEM™ 9085 is FAA-approved for FST applications.

PolyJet

Jetting and UV-curing droplets of photopolymer, allowing full colour and multiple materials — rigid, clear and rubber-like — in one part.

Post-processing

Work done after printing, such as support removal, sanding, media blasting, dyeing, vapour smoothing, painting or machining.

Powder bed fusion

A family of processes, including SLS and MJF, that fuse powder layer by layer. The loose powder supports the parts, so no supports are needed.

R

Resin

A liquid photopolymer that hardens under light. Used in SLA and PolyJet printing.

Reverse engineering

Turning a scanned or measured physical part into an editable CAD model, for replacements, modifications or documentation.

S

Shore hardness

A scale for how soft or hard a flexible material is. For example, Shore 15A silicone is softer than 30A.

Silicone (tin- vs platinum-cured)

Mould-making silicones. Platinum-cured has lower shrinkage and is the type used for food-contact moulds; tin-cured is lower cost.

SLA

Stereolithography: curing liquid resin with a laser layer by layer. Known for smooth surfaces, fine detail and engineering resins.

SLS

Selective laser sintering: sintering nylon and other powders with a laser. Support-free, with a wide range of engineering materials.

Snap-fit

A joint where a flexible feature bends and springs back into a recess, letting parts click together without fasteners.

STEP

An exact solid CAD file format. The best format to send for quoting and engineering parts.

STL

The most widely used 3D printing file format: a mesh of triangles. It does not store units, so export in millimetres.

Support structures

Temporary material printed under overhangs in FDM, SLA and metal printing, removed after printing.

T

TDS and SDS

Technical data sheet (material properties) and safety data sheet (safe handling). Ask for both when choosing a material.

Thermoforming

Heating a plastic sheet and forming it over a mould — vacuum forming is the most common type. Used for trays, covers and packaging.

Tolerance

The allowed variation from a nominal dimension. Our prototyping and industrial FDM services achieve ±0.3 mm.

Topology optimisation

Software that removes material where it carries little load, creating lighter parts that still meet structural requirements.

TPU

Thermoplastic polyurethane: a flexible, rubber-like material for seals, grips, cushioning and lattices.

U

UL94 V-0

The highest vertical-burn rating in the UL 94 plastics flammability standard: burning stops within 10 seconds, with no flaming drips.

Urethane casting

Pouring polyurethane resin into a silicone mould made from a master, to produce small batches of production-like parts. Also called vacuum casting.

V

Vacuum forming

The most common type of thermoforming, where a vacuum pulls a heated plastic sheet tightly onto a mould.

W

Wall thickness

The thickness of a part’s walls. Too thin and parts fail; too thick and they warp and cost more.

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