3D Printer

A printer that is designed to create three-dimensional physical objects from a digital design using an additive process. 3D printers physically place thousands of horizontal wafer thin layers of material in locations specified by the program. These safe thin layers can be composed of plastic, resin or metal, depending on the type of printer being used. Initially design as a manufacturing technique, 3D printing can also be used to add coating onto a substrate, thus providing a highly customized localized deposition without expensive tooling. Problems that can occur with uneven surface finishes a potential structural defects. Additionally the printing process is extremely slow.

Note: 3D printing is a rapidly advancing field. As of 2026 there are multiple types of printing processes. Page links for each process provides additional info on the materials available for use.

The processes that use plastics are:

• Fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers melt and extrude thermoplastic filaments, which a printer nozzle deposits layer by layer in the build area.
• Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printers use a laser to cure thermosetting liquid resins into hardened plastic in a process called photopolymerization.
• Selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printers use a high-powered laser to fuse small particles of thermoplastic powder.

The processes that use metals are:

• Metal FDM printers work similarly to traditional FDM printers, but use extrude metal rods held together by polymer binders. The finished “green” parts are then sintered in a furnace to remove the binder.
• Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) printers work similarly to SLS printers, but instead of fusing polymer powders, they fuse metal powder particles together layer by layer using a laser. SLM and DMLS 3D printers can create strong, accurate, and complex metal products, making this process ideal for aerospace, automotive, and medical applications.