- AMS
- Automatic filament system that feeds several spools so a printer can change colours mid-print.
- Bed / build plate
- The surface the print is built on. Textured and smooth plates give different bottom finishes.
- Bridge
- A horizontal span printed in mid-air between two supports.
- Brim
- Extra lines around the base that help a part stick to the bed; trimmed off afterwards.
- FDM
- Fused deposition modelling: melting filament through a nozzle layer by layer.
- Filament
- The plastic wire fed into an FDM printer, usually 1.75 mm diameter.
- Infill
- The internal pattern inside a print. More infill means heavier and usually stronger.
- Layer height
- Thickness of each printed layer. 0.2 mm is standard; finer layers look smoother but take longer.
- Lithophane
- A thin panel whose varying thickness reveals a photo when lit from behind.
- MSLA
- Masked stereolithography: a resin printer that cures a whole layer at once with a screen.
- Nozzle
- The heated tip that extrudes filament. 0.4 mm is the common size.
- Overhang
- A surface that leans out past the layer below. Beyond about 45° it usually needs support.
- Print-in-place
- A design that prints already assembled, with moving parts, such as flexi animals.
- Purge / prime tower
- Waste filament used to clear the old colour during colour changes.
- Slicer
- Software that turns a 3D model into layer-by-layer printer instructions.
- STL / 3MF / STEP
- Common 3D file formats. See the file formats guide.
- Support
- Temporary structure under overhangs, removed after printing.
- Tolerance / clearance
- The gap left between parts that fit together, often 0.2–0.3 mm.
- Wall / perimeter
- The outer shells of a print. Walls contribute most of a part's strength.
- Warping
- Corners lifting or bending as plastic cools and shrinks.
Wiki · Reference
3D printing glossary: terms explained A–Z
Plain-English definitions of common 3D printing terms: AMS, bridge, brim, infill, layer height, lithophane, overhang, slicer, supports and more.
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