Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
An FDM 3D printer works by depositing melted filament material over a build platform layer by layer until you have a completed part. FDM uses digital design files that are uploaded to the machine itself and translates them into physical dimensions. Materials for FDM include polymers such as ABS, PLA, PETG and PEI, which the machine feeds as threads through a heated nozzle.
Digital Light Processing (DLP)
DLP stands for digital light processing, and is a type of vat polymerization. Vat polymerization 3D printing technologies make use of a (liquid) photopolymer resin which is able to cure (solidify) under a light source.
PolyJet
PolyJet is a 3D printing technology that builds parts by jetting thousands of photopolymer droplets onto a build platform and solidifying them with a UV light. It’s one of the fastest and most accurate 3D printing technologies currently available.
Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)
Direct laser metal sintering (DLMS), also referred to as direct laser metal forming (DLMF) and selective laser melting (SLM), is a method wherein a highly intensive laser beam is directed onto a metal powder bed and fused metal particles according to a computer-aided design file (Shibli et al., 2013).