Glossary

The process of making a physical object from a 3D digital model, typically through layering lots of very thin layers of material in succession.

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene filament, a thermoplastic polymer crafted to be more durable, strong, and heat-resistant than PLA.

The bottom-most layer of the raft touching the build plate

Part of both the 3D printer and the 3D printer's slicing software that represents the area of the printer that filament is printed on and the physical space allotted for printing

Filaments made from a mixture of PLA and finely ground material, such as metal shavings or sawdust, to create a filament that prints in a finished material similar to its source material

Term used to describe the printer head and the extrusion nozzle as a single unit

The density of the material inside of the 3D printed model

Polylactic acid filament, a generally biodegradable and renewable thermoplastic polyester derived from plant starch

The part of the 3D printer that extrudes the filament to create physical 3D printed objects

The base layer of the 3D-printed object, made from filament and created in a thin layer which can be easily removed from the print after completion.

The thickness of each layer of the 3D print

Layers of material running interior to exterior in a 3D printed model

Software used to render and convert 3D models into 3D prints

A 3D printing error wherein small web-like strings of plastic stretch between the areas of the model that the printer head moves between to print

Additional breakaway material that's laid down by the printer to support overhangs, ledges, and other offshoots from the main body of the print.

Thermoplastic Polyurethane filament, a thermoplastic elastomer crafted to be rubbery, shock-absorbing, and flexible.

An area on the build plate in the 3D slicing software that represents the volume and borders of the printable area of the build plate

The space between the build plate and the print head's nozzle that gives the print Head space to move around and extrude filament onto the build plate