Technologies
Understand additive manufacturing's categories, technologies, materials, post-processes and terminology.
Printer Categories
AM's 7 printer category types.
The American Society for Testing and Materials International (ASTM) have defined the seven categories of Additive Manufacturing into which all of the different types fit. These are the recognised industry standard printer category classifications.
Printer Technologies
AM's 36 printer technology types.
Within each of the seven category types of Additive Manufacturing, lie a range of different AM printer technologies. These apply the categories' principles in different ways, using different materials, in different forms and at different scales.
AME
Additively Manufactured Electronics
AME parts are formed on a build plate surface.
BPE
Bound Powder Extrusion
BPE parts are built on a build plate surface.
CBAM
Composite Based Additive Manufacturing
CBAM parts are built by stacking sheets which are infiltrated and spread with material.
CFF
Continuous Fibre Fabrication
CFF parts are built on a build plate surface.
DLP
Digital Light Processing
DLP parts are built off a lifting build platform.
DLS (Clip)
Digital Light Synthesis
DLS (Clip) parts are built off a lifting build platform.
DMLS
Direct Metal Laser Sintering
Fuses metal powder with a high-power laser into fully dense parts with wrought-equivalent properties.
EBM
Electron Beam Melting
Melts metal powder with an electron beam in a vacuum, leaving parts largely free of residual stress.
FFF (Desktop)
Fused Filament Fabrication
FFF (Desktop) parts are built on a build plate surface.
FFF (High Grade)
Fused Filament Fabrication
FFF (High Grade) parts are built on a build plate surface.
Showing 12 of 36 technologies
AM Environments
Like any machinery, it is important that it and any ancillary equipment are installed, operated and maintained in the appropriate environment.
These printer technologies can be used in practical environments where recognised studio or workshop protocols are observed.
Some of them require additional equipment as part of their processes which need to be understood and accommodated:
DLP
Digital Light Processing
DLP parts are built off a lifting build platform.
FFF (Large Format)
Fused Filament Fabrication
FFF (Large Format) parts are built on a build plate surface.
PolyJet
Jets ultra-thin photopolymer layers cured on contact, for colour-accurate, tactile prototypes.
PMSL
Projection Micro Stereolithography
PMSL parts are built off a lifting build platform.
SLS (Benchtop)
Selective Laser Sintering
SLS (Benchtop) parts are built within a build chamber.
SLA (Benchtop)
Stereolithography
SLA (Benchtop) parts are built off a lifting build platform.