Additive manufacturing

Refers to all those manufacturing processes in which products are created from 3D data by adding material instead of removing it. The terms 3D printing, rapid manufacturing or rapid prototyping are often used interchangeably. When using additive techniques, a formless material is applied layer by layer until the desired product is completed. In this way, for example, innovative components are created with undercuts or complex internal structures that could not be produced by conventional means (e.g. milling or turning). Additive manufacturing takes up the core idea of Industry 4.0 by enabling individualized mass production.