Is Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing the Same? An Overview of Their Differences
11 Oct 2024 
Additive manufacturing (AM) is a known innovation often used to transform how companies design and produce products. However, it is a relatively new concept and is still surrounded by confusion, one being the interchangeable usage with 3D printing.
3D printing and additive manufacturing are not the same. These two technologies have different scopes and applications but are intimately connected because AM techniques employ 3D printing.
If you plan to integrate AM or 3D printing into your workflow, it’s essential to understand the two concepts better.
So, in this article, learn more about the differences between 3D printing and additive manufacturing, including their processes, materials, technologies behind them, and more.
What is Additive Manufacturing?
Many often simplify additive manufacturing as 3D printing, but it’s a far broader concept.
Additive manufacturing covers the end-to-end workflow–modelling, material traceability, 3D printing, post-processing, and quality assurance–of producing necessary components through layer-by-layer techniques. It uses materials such as metals, plastics, and composites.
Using AM in your business allows you to produce complex, detailed, lightweight product parts at a low cost. These AM benefits are proven true by companies in the aerospace industry as they saw enhanced product performance and reduced production times since AM integration in their process.
Through additive manufacturing services, you can also minimise wastes from bulk production or parts and maximise the AM’s capability to produce parts remotely for convenience in repairs and maintenance.
Aside from aerospace, additive manufacturing is also used in different industries, like healthcare and automotive, to create prototypes and large-scale productions.
What is 3D Printing?
Simply put, 3D printing makes three-dimensional objects designed or crafted using a digital model like CAD drawing. It uses a specialised machine that functions to slice and lay thin layers of materials like powders, thermoplastics, or resins to create the end product.
In additive manufacturing, 3D printing is used as a subset to build components or parts layer-by-layer. This technology also rapidly evolves alongside AM, from only developing mock or prototype products to handling small manufacturing projects.
3D printing, even though limited in scale, is still an ideal and significant technology in various industries because it can produce intricate, highly customised components quickly and efficiently.
So, if you’re a starting business looking for a tool that can help you bring new ideas or create new products in a shorter time frame and cost-effective way, you can expect 3D printing to do the job for you.
Additive Manufacturing vs 3D Printing: Key Differences
As previously said, 3D printing and additive manufacturing are two unique technologies. Let’s discuss some of their most significant differences.
Scope and Applications
3D printing and additive manufacturing offer tremendous customisation features but differ in how much scale they can handle.
Additive manufacturing encompasses many technologies, including 3D printing, to cater to more large-scale and advanced manufacturing operations, like aircraft and automotive parts.
Meanwhile, 3D printing alone is commonly used in smaller-scale projects. You can use this tech when making product prototypes, other consumer goods, or at-home printing operations.
Metal Powders and Plastics
Since additive manufacturing is mostly integrated into industries where the material’s durability and resistance to extreme temperatures are crucial, it heavily relies on metal powders.
In comparison, 3D printing focuses more on resins, plastics, and other lightweight materials since it produces products that need flexibility and have to be cost-effective, like rapid prototypes and customer-focused products.
Technology and Techniques
Due to the first two differences, 3D printing and additive manufacturing require varying techniques and technology.
For instance, AM uses techniques like selective laser sintering and direct metal laser sintering to fuse the powders of robust metals into layers and create detailed parts. This technique allows AM to develop intricate, high-performing parts despite the hard materials.
3D printing, on the other hand, uses a simpler method called fused deposition modelling. FDM takes a thin string of melted materials like plastics or resin and then pushes it into the machine to build the object. This technique only applies to quick prototypes as it can’t handle metal-like materials.
Still Unsure? Contact AECSS
In hindsight, 3D printing and additive manufacturing are different as they have unique offerings and advantages. However, the key concept here is that 3D printing is a standalone tool and is only a subset of AM, as the latter consists of many other technologies.
If you still need clarification about the best solution for your business, you must consult an expert like AECSS. We are an engineering solution provider specialising in providing state-of-the-art end-to-end additive manufacturing services tailored to your business needs.
Contact us today for customised AM solutions to equip your business for the future.
