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A 3D printer is a device that creates physical, three-dimensional objects from a digital file by adding material layer by layer, a process called additive manufacturing. Key computer terms include the slicer, which converts a 3D model into layers and generates instructions for the printer; G-code, the set of instructions for the printer's movements and actions; and 3D model, the digital blueprint created in 3D modeling software.

Key terms and their descriptions

3D Printer: A computer-controlled machine that builds a physical object from a digital design by depositing or fusing material in successive layers.

Additive Manufacturing (AM): The industrial and technical term for 3D printing, referring to processes that build objects by adding material, unlike traditional "subtractive" methods that remove material.

3D Model: The digital blueprint of an object, created using 3D modeling software, which serves as the source data for the printer.

Slicer: A software application that takes a 3D model and "slices" it into thin, horizontal layers. It generates the specific instructions, or G-code, that the 3D printer follows to print each layer.

G-code: The language of the 3D printer. It's a set of commands that instruct the printer on every detail, such as the precise path to move, the speed, and how much material to extrude or cure.

Toolpath: The specific path the print head or laser follows for each layer to build the object, determined by the slicer.

Filament: The plastic material, wound on a spool, that is melted and extruded by many common types of 3D printers (Fused Deposition Modeling or FDM).

Resin: A liquid photopolymer used in 3D printers that are cured layer-by-layer using a UV light source like a laser (Stereolithography or SLA) or a projector (Digital Light Processing or DLP).