Additive manufacturing is a process of creating an object by building it one layer at a time. It is also known as 3D printing and is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing, where an object is created by cutting away at a solid block of material until the final product is complete. Additive manufacturing can refer to any process where a product is created by building something up, such as molding, but it typically refers to 3D printing.

To create an object using additive manufacturing, someone must first create a design using computer-aided design (CAD) software or by taking a scan of the object someone wants to print. Software then translates the design into a layer-by-layer framework for the additive manufacturing machine to follow. The actual process of additive manufacturing can be done in a number of ways, all of which can take several hours to several days, depending on the object’s size.

There are seven additive manufacturing production techniques, each varying due to materials, layering, and machine technology needed. These techniques include:

• Powder Bed Fusion
• Directed Energy Deposition
• Binder Jetting
• Material Extrusion
• Sheet Lamination
• Vat Photopolymerization
• Hybrid Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing offers significant benefits to a wide range of industries, including agile product customization, functional integration, and rapid and cost-effective spare parts procurement. Companies like Boeing and General Electric have begun using additive manufacturing as integral parts of their business processes.