What Is Additive Manufacturing?

Additive manufacturing is a production process in which objects are created by adding material layer by layer.

3D printing is one of the most widely recognized forms of additive manufacturing.

Additive vs Subtractive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing differs from traditional subtractive methods such as CNC machining.

• Additive manufacturing builds objects by adding material.

• Subtractive manufacturing removes material from a solid block.

Both methods are widely used in engineering and product development.

Applications of Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing is used across many industries.

Examples include:

• prototyping

• aerospace components

• medical devices

• architectural models

• product design

Because additive manufacturing can produce complex geometries, it allows designers to explore shapes that may be difficult to achieve using traditional manufacturing methods.