3D printing & molding glossary

Capturing an object's shape with a laser or structured-light scanner to create an accurate digital 3D model. 3D scanning →

Making production-intent parts in low volume while final production tooling is being built, so a product can ship sooner.

A 3D printing process that melts plastic filament and lays it down one layer at a time. Best for strong, functional parts in engineering plastics. FDM printing →

Forcing molten plastic into a mold cavity, where it cools into the finished part. Best for many identical parts in production plastics. Injection molding →

Producing parts in quantities from tens to a few thousand — more than prototypes, fewer than mass production — often with 3D printing or low-cost molds instead of steel tooling.

Finishing work after printing or molding — removing supports, washing and curing resin parts, sanding, or installing threaded inserts.

A mold cavity 3D printed from resin instead of machined from steel. It costs less and is ready faster, which makes short injection-molding runs practical.

Quickly making physical models of a design to test form, fit and function before committing to production. Rapid prototyping →

Recreating CAD for an existing part — often by 3D scanning it — so it can be reproduced or improved.

A 3D printing process that uses a laser to cure liquid resin one thin layer at a time, producing smooth, highly detailed parts. SLA printing →

The molds, fixtures and jigs used to make or hold parts. Traditional steel tooling is expensive and slow to make; printed tooling trades lifespan for speed and lower cost.

A tough, heat-tolerant plastic common in housings and enclosures. It can be printed or molded.

Similar to ABS but far more resistant to sunlight, making it a strong choice for outdoor parts.

Plastics blended with chopped carbon or glass fibers for extra stiffness. Carbon-fiber nylon is a common pick for fixtures and brackets.

A low-friction, dimensionally stable plastic used for gears, bushings and other wear parts.

The spooled plastic strand fed into an FDM printer, typically 1.75 mm in diameter. It comes in many materials, from PLA to carbon-fiber nylon.

High-density polyethylene — a tough, chemical-resistant plastic for parts that take abuse.

A tough, wear-resistant engineering plastic for clips, gears, hinges and moving parts.

A durable plastic that handles moisture and many chemicals — a common choice for guards and covers.

An easy-to-print, low-cost plastic for concept models and fit checks. Not suited to heat or heavy loads.

A strong, impact-resistant plastic that holds up to higher temperatures than most — used for guards, housings and clear covers. We both 3D print and injection mold PC. Compare materials →

A lightweight, chemical-resistant plastic used for clips, caps and living hinges.

The liquid material cured by light in SLA printing. Formulations range from standard to tough, durable, clear, castable and flexible.

A scale for how soft or firm a flexible material is. Lower numbers are softer, so TPU 90A is softer than TPU 95A.

A plastic that softens when heated, hardens as it cools and can be re-melted. Most printed and molded plastics — ABS, PETG, nylon, PP — are thermoplastics. SLA resins are thermosets: they cure once and don't re-melt.

A flexible, rubber-like plastic for gaskets, grips, bumpers and seals.

A raised post on a part, usually hollow, that takes a screw, pin or threaded insert. Bosses are often tied into nearby walls with ribs for strength.

Computer-aided design — the software and digital models used to design parts. Common file formats include STEP and STL.

Designing a part so it can be made reliably, quickly and at reasonable cost. DFM guide →

A slight taper — typically 1–2° — on the vertical walls of a molded part so it releases cleanly from the mold.

A rounded corner. Fillets reduce stress concentrations and make parts easier to produce.

The opening where molten plastic enters a mold cavity. Gate location affects how the part fills and leaves a small mark on the finished part.

The temperature at which a plastic starts to bend under a set load — a quick way to compare how well materials hold their shape when hot.

A metal insert pressed into a printed part with heat, giving it durable metal threads for repeated assembly. Insert design guidelines →

The internal structure of an FDM part. Higher infill adds strength and weight; lower infill saves time and material.

The seam where the two halves of a mold meet. It shows as a faint line on molded parts, so it's placed where it won't be noticed or affect fit.

A thin wall added to stiffen a part without making it thick and heavy. Ribs help avoid the sink marks and warping that come with thick sections.

Flexible hooks or tabs that click parts together without screws or glue. A good snap fit depends on choosing a material with enough flex.

A feature that extends outward with nothing underneath. In FDM, overhangs steeper than roughly 45° usually need supports.

Temporary structures printed under overhangs to hold them up, then removed after printing.

A feature that stops a molded part from pulling straight out of the mold, which adds complexity to the tooling.

How thick a part's walls are. Keeping walls consistent reduces warping, sink marks and internal stress.

Equally strong in every direction. SLA parts are close to isotropic; FDM parts are weaker between layers than along them.

The thickness of each printed layer. Thinner layers give smoother surfaces and finer detail but take longer to print.

A 3D model made of many small triangles, like an STL file. Meshes are fine for printing but harder to edit than solid CAD models.

The raw set of measured points a 3D scanner captures. It's processed into a mesh, then into CAD when the part needs to be edited or reproduced. 3D scanning →

Small depressions on a molded part's surface where thick sections shrink as they cool.

A neutral CAD format (.step or .stp) that keeps a part's exact solid geometry, so it opens cleanly in almost any CAD program. Best when a part will be edited or molded.

A common 3D printing file format that describes a part's surface as triangles. Our instant quote accepts STL, OBJ, PLY, GLB and GLTF files.

How smooth or textured a part's surface is. FDM parts show fine layer lines and SLA parts are smoother; sanding, priming and other post-processing can improve either.

How much a finished dimension is allowed to vary from the design. Our FDM tolerances go as low as 0.1 mm and resin as low as 0.05 mm.

Distortion that happens when a part cools unevenly — most common at the corners of large, flat parts.