3D printing is any of various processes used to make a three-dimensionalobject. In 3D printing, additive processes are used, in which successive layers of material are laid down under computer control. These objects can be of almost any shape or geometry, and are produced from a 3D modelor other electronic data source. A 3D printer is a type of industrial robot.

3D printing in the term’s original sense refers to processes that sequentially deposit material onto a powder bed with inkjet printer heads. More recently the meaning of the term has expanded to encompass a wider variety of techniques such asextrusion and sintering based processes.Technical standards generally use the term additive manufacturing for this broader sense.

Preparing Parts for Printing