Additive Fabrication Terminology Unraveled

Additive Fabrication Technology
Terminology at a Glance

ADDITIVE FABRICATION
[Preferred term for the entire field.]

RAPID PROTOTYPING
[Currently the most popular term for the entire field, but not precise.]

Examples of common additive technologies:

Stereolithography (SLA) Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)	Inkjet based systems Three Dimensional Printing (3DP)	Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)
Note that most of these technologies can be used for 3D printing, rapid tooling, rapid manufacturing and other applications.

Less frequently used synonyms for ADDITIVE FABRICATION or RAPID PROTOTYPING:

solid freeform fabrication (SFF)

freeform fabrication (FFF)

desktop manufacturing (DTM)

solid imaging / solid imager

fabber / fabbing

layered manufacturing / layered fabrication

~~Stereolithography~~
[Confused or incorrect usage when referring to the entire field.]

3D Printers / 3D Printing
(Lower-cost systems.)

Synonyms:

three dimensional printers / printing
concept modelers / concept modeling

Rapid Tooling

Direct Tooling
(Technologies which don't use a pattern.)

Indirect Tooling
(May include an RP-generated pattern & secondary material transfer process.)

Not just rapid tooling
(Some technologies are often mis-characterised
as exclusively rapid tooling.) Examples:

laser powder forming technologies

Direct Metal Deposition (TM)

ProMetal (TM)

electron beam melting (EBM)

selective laser melting (SLM)

Rapid Manufacturing
Synonyms:

additive manufacturing / additive fabrication

mass customization

toolless manufacturing

direct fabrication / direct manufacturing

digital manufacturing / digital fabrication

Advanced Digital Manufacturing (ADM) (TM)