What sets additive manufacturing apart from 3D printing is all the processes performed besides printing.

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AM begins with designing a part specifically for additive, followed by programming it, optimizing the process, printing the part, and finally postprocessing it. The promise of a 3D printer that will spit out finished parts in the manner of serial production is unrealistic. Simple plastic parts, for example, may require postprocessing steps like support removal and may need to be sanded, polished, vapor-smoothed, machined, filled, painted, sealed, dyed, and assembled.

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In the AM marketplace, job shops are called service bureaus. This is because they must offer an array of services to turn a customer’s concept into reality. Similarly, when companies buy 3D printers, they usually are seeking more than just to print […]

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