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3D printing
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Diagram showing three stages of the selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printing process: a roller spreads powder in the work area, a laser fuses selected areas to form the workpiece, and new powder layers are added to build up the object.
How 3D printing is changing manufacturing
computer-aided design 3D-printed prosthesis
Know about the development of titanium 3D-printed prosthetic jaw
Assorted handguns made from or modified with colorful 3D-printed parts, each tagged for identification, displayed on a brown surface at the ATF National Services Center.
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Diagram showing three stages of the selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printing process: a roller spreads powder in the work area, a laser fuses selected areas to form the workpiece, and new powder layers are added to build up the object.
illustration of the selective laser sintering (SLS) process The selective laser sintering (SLS) process, showing (top) the rolling of a thin layer of powder over the work area, (middle) the sintering of powder by a laser beam to build up the workpiece, and (bottom) the rolling of fresh powder over the workpiece to begin a new layer.

3D printing

manufacturing
Also known as: three-dimensional printing
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

3D printing, in manufacturing, any of several processes for fabricating three-dimensional objects by layering two-dimensional cross sections sequentially, one on top of another. The process is analogous to the fusing of ink or toner onto paper in a printer (hence the term printing) but is actually the solidifying or binding of a liquid or powder at each spot in the horizontal cross section where solid material is desired. In the case of 3D printing, the...

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