3D printing methods
The 3D printing methods on 3Techs, in order of how many printers are listed. See how each method works in brief and find printers that use it.
Fused Filament Fabrication
FFFA thermoplastic filament is melted in a heated nozzle and laid down layer by layer. Printers and materials are widely available at a broad range of prices.
Printers listed557
Digital Light Processing
DLPA digital projector cures a whole layer of liquid resin at once, which makes layer times independent of how much of the layer is filled.
Printers listed204
Laser beam PBF
PBFA laser selectively melts layers of powder, usually metal, in a powder bed to build dense parts with complex shapes.
Printers listed202
Stereolithography
SLAA laser traces each layer on the surface of a liquid photopolymer resin to cure it, producing fine detail and smooth surfaces.
Printers listed148
LCD (mSLA)
LCDAn LCD panel masks a UV light source to cure a whole layer of liquid resin at once. It is common in compact, lower-cost resin printers.
Printers listed88
Selective Laser Sintering
SLSA laser fuses polymer powder layer by layer. The surrounding powder supports the part, so no separate support structures are needed.
Printers listed75
Paste deposition
A high-viscosity paste, such as a ceramic or clay, is dispensed through a nozzle and built up layer by layer.
Printers listed74
Laser beam DED
DEDA laser melts metal powder or wire as it is fed onto the part, which suits large features and adding material to existing parts.
Printers listed61
Material Extrusion
MEXMaterial is pushed through a nozzle and deposited in layers. This is the general process category that includes filament and pellet printing.
Printers listed49
Material jetting (UV-cured)
MJPrint heads jet droplets of liquid photopolymer that are cured with UV light, allowing several materials or colors in one part.
Printers listed45
Extrusion bioprinting
Bioinks, which can contain living cells, are pushed through a nozzle to build tissue-like structures, mainly for research.
Printers listed42
Fused Granulate Fabrication
FGFPlastic pellets are melted in a screw extruder and deposited layer by layer. It is often used for large parts because pellets are an inexpensive feedstock.
Printers listed40
Binder jetting (multi-step)
Binder jetting forms the shape first, and later steps such as sintering or infiltration give the part its final properties.
Printers listed33
Fused Deposition Modeling
FDMA thermoplastic filament is melted and extruded through a nozzle, building parts layer by layer.
Printers listed25
Liquid deposition
LPDA liquid material is dispensed through a nozzle and solidified as it is deposited, layer by layer.
Printers listed20
Binder jetting (single-step)
Binder jetting in which the printed part needs little further processing to reach its final properties.
Printers listed18
Continuous fiber deposition
Continuous fibers such as carbon or glass are placed within a part as it is built, adding strength along the direction of the fibers.
Printers listed13
Electric arc DED
An electric arc is the energy source that melts metal feedstock as it is deposited, which suits large metal parts.
Printers listed12
Metal Powder Bed Fusion
MPBFA laser or electron beam selectively melts layers of metal powder to make dense metal parts with complex shapes.
Printers listed12
Two-photon polymerization
2PPA focused femtosecond laser cures resin only at its focal point, making microscopic structures with very high resolution.
Printers listed11
Lubricant Sublayer Photo-curing
LSPcA lubricant layer beneath the resin reduces the forces on the part while each layer is cured, which supports faster printing.
Printers listed10
Cold spray AM
CSAMMetal particles are accelerated in a high-speed gas stream and bond on impact without being fully melted.
Printers listed10
Electron Beam Melting
EBMAn electron beam melts layers of metal powder in a vacuum, often for parts made from reactive metals such as titanium alloys.
Printers listed9
Electron beam DED
An electron beam melts metal wire as it is fed onto the part in a vacuum, which suits large metal parts.
Printers listed8
Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing
WAAMAn electric arc melts metal wire, similar to welding, to build large metal parts at a high deposition rate.
Printers listed7
Direct Metal Printing
DMPA laser selectively melts thin layers of fine metal powder to build dense metal parts with complex shapes.
Printers listed7
Direct Metal Laser Sintering
DMLSA laser fuses layers of fine metal powder to build complex, detailed metal parts.
Printers listed7
Powder Bed Fusion
PBFHeat from a laser or electron beam selectively fuses regions of a powder bed, layer by layer. This is the general category for metal and polymer powder processes.
Printers listed6
Laser Metal Deposition
LMDMetal powder or wire is fed into a laser-generated melt pool to build features or repair existing parts.
Printers listed6
Multi Jet Printing
MJPPrint heads jet droplets of photopolymer or wax that are cured or solidified layer by layer, giving fine detail and smooth surfaces.
Printers listed6
Laser Engineered Net Shaping
LENSMetal powder is fed into a melt pool formed by a laser to build near-net-shape parts or repair existing ones.
Printers listed6
Projection Micro Stereolithography
PµSLProjected light is reduced through optics to cure resin layers, making very small and precise parts.
Printers listed5
Continuous Liquid Interface Production
CLIPAn oxygen-permeable window keeps a thin layer of resin uncured, so the part can be drawn upward continuously as it is formed.
Printers listed5
Lithography-based Ceramics Manufacturing
LCMCeramic particles in a photosensitive resin are cured with light, and the part is then debound and sintered.
Printers listed5
Selective Laser Melting
SLMA laser fully melts layers of metal powder in a powder bed to make dense metal parts.
Printers listed5
Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing
UAMMetal foils are joined by ultrasonic welding at low temperature, which allows dissimilar metals to be combined.
Printers listed5
Multi Jet Fusion
MJFFusing and detailing agents are jetted onto a bed of polymer powder, and heat fuses the treated areas layer by layer.
Printers listed5
Gel Dispensing Printing
GDPA gel material is dispensed through a nozzle and cured, which suits soft or flexible parts.
Printers listed4
Friction stir AM
FSAMA rotating tool uses frictional heat to soften and join metal without fully melting it, which can limit distortion.
Printers listed4
NanoParticle Jetting™
NPJA liquid containing metal or ceramic nanoparticles is jetted in fine droplets, then the part is sintered.
Printers listed4
Polyjet
Print heads jet droplets of photopolymer that are cured with UV light, allowing multiple materials and colors in one part.
Printers listed4
Binder Jetting
A liquid binder is jetted onto a bed of powder to join it layer by layer. Depending on the material, parts may need post-processing such as sintering.
Printers listed3
Wire Laser Additive Manufacturing
WLAMA laser melts metal wire as it is fed onto the part, building up material bead by bead.
Printers listed3
Electron beam PBF
An electron beam selectively melts layers of metal powder in a vacuum.
Printers listed3
Sheet lamination (adhesive joining)
Sheets of material are cut to shape and joined with adhesive, layer by layer.
Printers listed3
Material jetting (thermally-bonded)
Heated droplets of a material such as wax or molten plastic are jetted and solidify as they cool.
Printers listed3
Aerosol
A material is atomized into an aerosol and sprayed through a nozzle to form fine patterns, such as printed electronics.
Printers listed3
Composite Fiber Co-extrusion
CFCContinuous reinforcing fiber is extruded together with a thermoplastic in the same nozzle to make stronger composite parts.
Printers listed2
DLP bioprinting
Projected light cures a whole layer of photosensitive bioink at once, mainly for tissue engineering research.
Printers listed2
Continuous Digital Light Manufacturing
CDLMDigital light projection cures resin while the part is lifted continuously rather than stopping for each layer.
Printers listed2
Directed Energy Deposition
DEDFocused energy melts material as it is fed onto the part. This is the general category for processes used to build and repair metal parts.
Printers listed2
MOVINGLIGHT®
A moving light source travels across the build area to cure resin layers.
Printers listed2
Micro Laser Sintering
MLSA finely focused laser and very fine metal powder are used in a powder bed process to make small, precise metal parts.
Printers listed2
Micro Automated Fiber Placement
μAFPNarrow strips of fiber-reinforced material are placed automatically to build small composite parts with controlled fiber directions.
Printers listed2
Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing
CBAMSheets of fiber are printed with a pattern, stacked, compressed and heated to bond the printed areas; the excess fiber is then removed.
Printers listed2
Direct Metal Laser Melting
DMLMA laser fully melts layers of metal powder in a powder bed to build dense metal parts.
Printers listed2
Selective Powder Deposition
SPDThe part powder and a support powder are placed selectively in each layer, and the part is then densified by heating.
Printers listed2
Metal binder jetting
MBJA binder is jetted onto metal powder to form the shape, and the part is then sintered to increase its density.
Printers listed2
High Speed Sintering
HSSA heat-absorbing ink is jetted onto polymer powder, and infrared heat then sinters the inked areas, layer by layer.
Printers listed2
ColorJet Printing
CJPColored binder is jetted onto a bed of powder, layer by layer, to produce full-color parts, often used for visual models.
Printers listed2
Moldjet
A printed wax mold is filled with a metal or ceramic paste, layer by layer, and the part is then sintered.
Printers listed2
CF3D
Continuous fiber impregnated with a fast-curing resin is deposited and cured as it is printed, which can reduce the need for support.
Printers listed1
Bound Metal Deposition
BMDRods of metal powder held in a binder are extruded into shape, and the part is then debound and sintered into metal.
Printers listed1
Liquid Additive Manufacturing
LAMA liquid material is deposited in layers and then cured, for example with heat.
Printers listed1
Continuous DLP
cDLPDigital light projection cures resin while the part is raised continuously, rather than one stopped layer at a time.
Printers listed1
Micro DLP
μDLPDigital light projection with high-resolution optics cures resin layers to make very small, detailed parts.
Printers listed1
Lithography-based Metal Manufacturing
LMMMetal powder mixed into a photosensitive resin is cured layer by layer with light, and the part is then debound and sintered.
Printers listed1
LCD bioprinting
An LCD panel masks a light source to cure layers of photosensitive bioink.
Printers listed1
Xolography
Two intersecting beams of light of different wavelengths cure resin inside a volume without building it up layer by layer.
Printers listed1
Laser-Induced Slipcasting
LISA laser locally solidifies layers of a water-based ceramic slurry, and the part is then fired to its final density.
Printers listed1
Area Printing
Light is patterned across an entire area of each layer at once instead of being scanned as a single point.
Printers listed1
Diffusion bonding AM
DAMLayers of material are joined by diffusion bonding under heat and pressure, without melting them.
Printers listed1
Additive Fusion Technology
AFTComposite material is laid up in layers to form a preform, which is then consolidated with heat and pressure.
Printers listed1
Quantum Laser Sintering
QLSA laser-based powder sintering process used to build up parts layer by layer.
Printers listed1
Additive Micromanufacturing Technology
µAMA micro-scale additive process for making very small, precise parts.
Printers listed1
Rapid Induction Printing
RIPInduction heating melts metal feedstock as it is deposited to build up a part.
Printers listed1
Selective Absorption Fusion
SAFAn infrared-absorbing fluid is jetted onto polymer powder, and infrared energy fuses the treated areas layer by layer.
Printers listed1
Directed Energy Deposition, Material Extrusion
A hybrid approach that combines directed energy deposition and material extrusion.
Printers listed1
Additively Manufactured Electronics
AMEConductive and insulating materials are printed together to make circuits and electronic components in three dimensions.
Printers listed1
Volumetric bioprinting
Light patterns cure a volume of bioink all at once instead of building it up in layers.
Printers listed1
Inkjet bioprinting
Print heads deposit small droplets of bioink, mainly for tissue engineering research.
Printers listed1
Material Jetting
Droplets of build material are selectively deposited through print heads. This is the general category for jetting processes.
Printers listed1
Material jetting (chemically-bonded)
Jetted materials solidify through a chemical reaction rather than through light or cooling.
Printers listed1