A strand of plastic. A pool of resin. A bed of metal powder.
Three different ways to build something, one layer at a time.
Drive gears feed solid filament into a heated print head. The build plate gives the first layer a place to bond.
A simplified illustration, not a machine simulation. Selected machine surfaces are transparent to reveal the process. Layers, light, and material flow are exaggerated to make them visible; build time is compressed. Use the timeline to inspect a still frame.
The nozzle follows the slice of the model, laying down adjacent roads of softened thermoplastic. Each new layer bonds to the one below. This hollow demonstration part shows the walls; other geometries can also use infill and supports.
Explore FDM printingThermoplastic filament softens in the hot end, then follows a toolpath. A practical starting point for functional parts, fixtures, and larger prototypes.
Light selectively cures a photopolymer. This example shows masked SLA (MSLA): an LCD mask defines each exposure. Laser SLA instead traces the layer.
A laser melts selected regions of a thin powder layer. SLM is a form of laser powder bed fusion. The chamber atmosphere is controlled during the build.
Process references: Prusa — FDM / FFF · Formlabs — resin printing · EOS — metal powder bed fusion
Tell us what it needs to do. We’ll help choose the right process.
