Terms and Definitions Commonly used in Additive Manufacturing

3D printing (3DP) is a kind of rapid prototyping technology, also known as additive manufacturing. It is a technology based on digital model files, which uses powder metal or plastic and other adhesive materials to construct objects by layer printing. This paper lists the terms and definitions commonly used in additive manufacturing for reference:

Additive Manufacturing

The process of manufacturing parts or objects by stacking materials based on 3D model data.

Additive Manufacturing System

Equipment and auxiliary tools for additive manufacturing.

Additive Manufacturing Equipment

The necessary components of the additive manufacturing system to complete a forming cycle in the production process of parts or physical objects, including hardware, equipment control software and setup software.

3D Printing

The process of using print head, nozzle or other printing technology to make parts or objects by stacking materials.

3D Printer

Equipment used for 3D printing.
Note: Also called 3D printer.

Users of Additive Manufacturing System

Users of additive manufacturing systems or their peripherals.

Users of Additive Manufacturing Equipment

Users of additive manufacturing equipment.

Material Supplier

The supplier of raw materials required by the additive manufacturing system to manufacture parts or physical objects.

Composite Additive Manufacturing

In the single step process of additive manufacturing, one or more additive manufacturing, equal material manufacturing or reduced material manufacturing technologies are simultaneously or step by step combined to complete the process of parts or physical manufacturing.

Micro Nano Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing process for constructing micro nano scale structures.

Single Step Process

The additive manufacturing process that uses single step operation to complete the part or physical manufacturing can simultaneously obtain the expected basic geometric shape and basic performance of the product.

Multistep Process

An additive manufacturing process that uses two or more steps to complete part or physical manufacturing. Generally, the basic geometric shape of the part or object is obtained through the first step of operation, and the expected basic performance is achieved through subsequent operations.

Binder Injection

Additive manufacturing process for bonding powder materials with selective spray deposition liquid binder.

Directional Energy Deposition

Additive manufacturing process in which materials are synchronously melted and deposited by focusing heat energy.
Note: Focusing heat energy refers to focusing energy sources (such as laser, electron beam, plasma beam or arc) to melt the materials to be deposited.

Material Extrusion

Additive manufacturing process for extruding materials through nozzles or orifices.
Note: Typical material extrusion processes such as melt deposition forming.

Material Spraying

Additive manufacturing process in which materials are sprayed and deposited in the form of micro drops as required.
Note: Typical materials include polymer materials (such as photosensitive materials), biomolecules, active cells, metal powders, etc.

Powder Bed Melting

Additive manufacturing process for selectively melting/sintering the powder bed area by thermal energy.
Note: Typical powder bed melting processes include selective laser sintering, selective laser melting and electron beam melting.

Lamination of Thin Materials

Additive manufacturing process of bonding thin layer materials layer by layer to form real objects.

Stereolithography

Additive manufacturing process for selectively curing liquid photosensitive polymers by photopolymerization.

Forming Chamber

The space for manufacturing parts or objects in additive manufacturing systems.
Note: Some cases can also be called forming cavity.

Forming Cycle

A single process in which one or more parts or objects are manufactured in the forming room of the additive manufacturing system.

Forming Range

Forming Dimension

In the forming space, the maximum external dimensions of the x, y and axis directions of the part or object can be manufactured.
Note: The size of the forming space is larger than the size of the forming range.

Forming Platform

A platform that provides a working surface at the beginning of forming and supports the forming process.
Note: In some systems, parts or objects are connected to the forming platform directly or through the support structure during the manufacturing process. In some other systems, such as the powder bed system, it is not necessary.

Shaping Space

The space where parts or objects are manufactured, usually in a forming chamber or on a forming platform.

Layer

The thin layer formed by flattening and spreading materials.

Formed Surface

The plane area of superimposed materials is usually the latest deposition layer, which serves as the basis for forming the next layer.
Note 1: For the first layer, the forming surface is usually the forming platform.
Note 2: In the directional energy deposition process, the forming surface can be an existing part or a real object, on which the materials are stacked for forming.
Note 3: If the direction of material deposition or curing changes (or both), it can be defined relative to the forming surface.

Forming Space Volume

The maximum space in the equipment that can be used to make parts or objects.

Feeding Area

(Powder bed melting) The area where raw materials are stored in the equipment and continuously provided during the forming cycle.

Production Sequence

In a forming cycle or a series of continuous forming cycles, the production process of all parts or objects using the same batch of raw materials and process conditions.

Manufacturing Lot

A batch of parts or physical objects produced in a production order using the same raw materials, production sequence, additive manufacturing system and post-processing process (if necessary).
Note: here, the additive manufacturing system includes one or more additive manufacturing equipment and/or post-processing equipment defined by the equipment manufacturer.

Overflow Area

(In the powder bed melting system) The area used to store excess powder in the equipment during the forming cycle.
Note: The overflow area of some equipment can be composed of one or more special rooms or powder recovery systems.

Part Location

The position of parts or objects in the forming space.
Note: The position of the part is usually defined by the sink, y, and semantic coordinates of the geometric center of the part bounding box relative to the origin of the forming space.

System Settings

Configuration parameters of additive manufacturing system.

Process Parameters

A set of operating parameters and system settings used in a single forming cycle.

Positive

One side of the operation interface and/or main observation window facing the operator on the equipment.
Note: Unless otherwise specified by the equipment manufacturer, it usually refers to the front of the equipment.

Origin

(0,0, 0) (when sink, y, and semantic coordinates are used) The general reference point specified at the intersection of the three principal axes in the coordinate system. Note: The coordinate system can be Cartesian coordinate system or defined by the equipment manufacturer.

Forming Origin

It is usually located in the center of the forming platform and fixed on the forming surface, which can also be defined separately.

Equipment Origin

Origin defined by the equipment manufacturer.

X-axis

The coordinate axis in the equipment coordinate system that is parallel to the front face and perpendicular to the y-axis and the semantic axis.

Y-axis

The axis perpendicular to the z and x axes in the equipment coordinate system.

Z-axis

The axis in the equipment coordinate system that is perpendicular to the work axis and y-axis (the plane composed of).

Equipment Coordinate System

The three-dimensional coordinate system defined according to a fixed point in the forming platform. The three spindles are labeled x, y, z, and the rotation axes are A, B, and C. Angles with x, y, z are expressed in right-hand Cartesian coordinates, or as specified by the equipment manufacturer.

3D Scanning

3D Digitization

It is a method to obtain the three-dimensional shape and size of a real object by recording the coordinate values of engineering, y, and semantics on the surface of the real object, and convert each coordinate point into digital data through software.

Bounding Box

The smallest box that can cover points on 3D parts or physical surfaces.
Note: When the manufactured parts or real objects contain additional external features (such as labels, labels or embossed letters), the bounding box can be determined according to the geometric shape of the tested parts or real objects, and the additional external features are not included in the testing.

Arbitrary Direction Bounding Box

Generates bounding boxes with unlimited directions.

Equipment Enclosure Box

The (part) surface is parallel to the bounding box of the equipment coordinate system.

Main Bounding Box

A bounding box that can enclose all parts or objects in one manufacturing process.

Patch

Polygons, such as triangles or quadrangles, commonly used to represent 3D mesh surfaces or model elements.
Note: In AM, AMF and STL file formats, triangular patches are used, but in AMF files, triangular patches are allowed to be surfaces.

Geometric Center

(of the bounding box) is located at the arithmetic center of the bounding box of the part.
Note: The center of the bounding box can be located outside the part or object.

Initial Forming Direction

Initial placement direction of parts or objects in the forming space volume

Interference

In a forming cycle, the bounding boxes of a group of parts or objects or bounding boxes in any direction overlap each other.

Part Reorientation

The process of rotating the bounding box of a part or object around the geometric center from the initial forming direction of the part or object

Surface Model

A mathematical or digital expression method that uses a set of planes and/or surfaces to describe objects
Note: This method can be used to represent a closed area) or a non closed area

STL

One of the file formats for additive manufacturing) is used to manufacture solid parts or real objects by expressing the geometric information of the physical surface in the form of triangular patches) and transferring it to the equipment

AMF

A type of additive manufacturing data file format) including 3D surface geometric description) supporting color, material, mesh, texture, structure and metadata
Note: AMF can express one or more objects in a structural relationship, which is similar to STL.) Surface geometric information is represented by triangular meshes.) However, triangular meshes can be bent in AMF. AMF can also specify the color of each triangle and the material and color of each volume in the mesh

STEP

Product model data exchange standard

IGES

Initial Drawing Exchange Specification) is a CAD data exchange format.

PDES

Product data exchange specification) or product data exchange using STEP

XML

A standard language issued by the World Wide Web Consortium) used to mark information content)
Note: By using custom forms and schemas), the unified expression form is adopted, which allows the content (data) and format (metadata) to be transformed.

Solidification

Chemical change process of raw materials from liquid to solid) to form the properties of parts or physical objects

Melt

The process of combining two or more units of material by melting to form a unit material.

Laser Sintering

In the powder bed melting process, one or more lasers are used to selectively melt/melt the powder materials in the forming room and sinter layer by layer.
Note: Most laser sintering equipment will partially or completely melt materials during processing. The word "sintering" is a term used in the past and is a misnomer, because this process usually requires complete or partial melting, which is different from the traditional metal powder sintering process using casting and heat (pressure).

Post Processing

The treatment process after the additive manufacturing forming process is used to make the final product reach the expected performance.

Powder Bed

In the forming area of additive manufacturing process, raw materials are deposited in this area, and parts or objects are manufactured by selectively melting, sintering or using adhesives through heat sources.

Raw Material

Materials used in the forming process of additive manufacturing.
Note: The additive manufacturing process can usually use many types of raw materials, such as liquid, powder, suspension, wire and sheet.

Part Adhesion Powder

In the powder bed melting process, at the end of the forming cycle, the excess powder blocks adhered to the formed parts or physical objects.

Powder Batch

A large amount of powder produced under traceable and controlled conditions from the same manufacturing process cycle.
Note 1: The size of powder is defined by the powder supplier. Generally, powder suppliers supply powder to multiple users of additive manufacturing system in batches; Note 2: Most powders are required to provide traceable documents (also known as "certificate of conformity" factory approval certificate "or" analysis report ").

Powder Batching

A large amount of mixed powder from multiple powder batches of the same composition.
Note: If the powder batch contains the original powder and the used powder, it is generally determined by the supplier and the user through consultation.

Raw Powder

Unused powder in powder batch.

Used Powder

Powder used in at least one forming cycle.

Powder

The powder used as raw material can be used powder, original powder or a mixture of both.
Note 1: The used powder can be the powder used in the same forming cycle or the mixture of the powder used in different forming cycles. Note 2: One powder can be used for one or more production sequences using different process parameters.

Spare Parts

The functional parts formed by additive manufacturing process can be expected complete products or parts thereof.
Note: The functional requirements of a part are usually determined by its intended use.

Prototype

The function may not be perfect, but it can be used to analyze, design and evaluate the entity model of the whole product or its components. Note: The requirements used as prototype parts only depend on meeting the requirements of analysis and evaluation, which are generally determined by the supplier and the user through consultation.

Prototype Mould

A mold, die, etc. that can be used as a prototype.
Note: Sometimes called transition die or soft die. When manufacturing molds for production, prototype molds are sometimes used to test mold design and/or produce end parts or physical objects. At this time, the die is usually called transition die.

Rapid Prototyping

Rapid Prototyping

Rapid Prototyping

Additive manufacturing technology used to reduce sample production time.
Note: The technology of applying additive manufacturing process to produce prototype products so as to shorten the development cycle. Historically, rapid prototyping (RP) is the first commercial application of additive manufacturing technology, so it is widely used as a general term of additive manufacturing technology.

Rapid Tooling

The process of using additive manufacturing technology to manufacture molds or mold parts has shortened the mold manufacturing cycle compared with the traditional mold manufacturing process.
Note 1: The rapid tooling can be directly manufactured by the additive manufacturing process or indirectly manufactured by the additive manufacturing process, and then the real tooling can be processed by the secondary process.
Note 2: In addition to the additive manufacturing process, the "rapid tooling" technology can also apply the reduced material manufacturing process to manufacture the mold and shorten the mold delivery cycle, such as CNC milling.

Accuracy

The closeness of a result to an acceptable reference or target value.

Morphogenesis

In the additive manufacturing process, in addition to the need to remove the forming platform, support and/or raw materials, it is a state of parts after forming and before the post-treatment process.

Near Net Shape

A forming condition in which a part or object can meet dimensional tolerance requirements without post-processing.

Fully Dense

A critical state in which the relative density of a material is not less than a specific value.
Note: This specific value can be determined by agreement between the user and the manufacturer according to requirements.

Porosity

An indicator of the density of a part or object, which is the percentage of the volume of pores in the material to the total volume.

Repeatability

The degree of consistency when the same characteristic is measured twice or more with the same equipment under the same environmental conditions.