Rapid Prototyping Glossary
3D Printing (3DP)
A rapid prototyping process where layers of powder are bonded by inkjet technology to form a part. The term is also used generically as synonym for rapid prototyping.
Additive Fabrication
Manufacture of a part by adding materials to a substrate, usually one layer at a time. The technological process that is used in rapid prototyping. Opposite of subtractive fabrication.
Brown Part
A green part that has been "sintered". Brown parts are dimensionally stable but are often porous and as such must be bonded with another material before using.
Desktop Manufacturing (DTM)
Another term for rapid prototyping.
Electron Beam Melting (EBM)
Similar to laser sintering, but uses an electron beam instead of a laser.
Freeform Fabrication (FFF)
Another term for rapid prototyping.
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
A rapid prototyping technology that uses thermoplastics.
Green Part
The initial, loosely-bonded part formed by rapid prototyping process. Green parts are sintered to form brown parts, which are dimensionally stable.
Initial Graphic Exchange Specification (IGES)
An open file format for the exchange of 3D data.
Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)
A rapid prototyping technology that bonds layers of paper together to form a part.
Liquid Metal Jet Printing (LMJP)
A rapid prototyping process that uses molten metal droplets and inkjet-printing technology to form a part.
Photopolymers
Compounds that change from a liquid to a solid when exposed to light, heat or microwave energy.
Rapid Manufacturing
The process of manufacturing parts directly for end customer use from a rapid prototyping system.
Rapid Prototyping
A computer-based process that fabricates 3D parts from a CAD (STL) file by depositing metal, wax or polymers layer by layer on a substrate. Sometimes referred to as 3D printing or stereolithography.
Rapid Tooling
The process of manufacturing tools from a rapid prototyping system.
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
Similar to stereolithography, but metal droplets and other materials can be used to fabricate a part.
Stereolithography (SL or STL)
A rapid prototyping process that manufactures a part by depositing layers of a liquid photopolymer that is hardened with a laser. The term is often used interchangeably with rapid prototyping.
STL File
A CAD file format used in rapid prototyping to characterize the geometric facets of the part to be manufactured.
Subtractive Fabrication
The opposite of additive fabrication, subtractive fabrication involves removing material to form a part by the use of mills, lathes and drills.
Voxel
A voxel is a volume element and is the three-dimensional equivalent of a pixel. Voxels are the minimum volume that a rapid prototyping system can generate.
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