---
title: 3D printing
lang: en
type: notion
tags:
  - mme
  - notion
prerequis: []
aa: []
draft: false
source_fr: meca/impression-3d.md
source_sha256: 042608d9780d8d836ae204e90b8bfedfa8cc917faed9f6c378be8be771409751
---

**3D printing**, or **additive** manufacturing, builds a part layer by layer from a 3D file, most often by depositing fused filament (FDM). It makes it possible to produce complex shapes in house without tooling, at the price of lower mechanical strength and lower accuracy than [[usinage-en|machining]].

## In the project

This is the rapid prototyping process par excellence: a part is iterated in a few hours for the cost of the filament. On the running example, the lightly loaded structural parts, such as brackets, housings and jigs, are printed, usually in [[pla-en|PLA]]. The practical flow at school is that the team hands **STL** files to the fablab manager, who takes charge of the printing. Hence the importance of **booking the slot early** and of paying attention to part orientation, since strength depends on the direction of the layers.

*Fine parameter tuning, covering temperature, infill, supports and speed, the choice of material to suit the strength required, and the diagnosis of printing defects, all belong to the **manufacturing course** and to the fablab manager.*

## See also

- [[usinage-en|Machining]] — the complementary subtractive process
- [[pla-en|PLA]] — the most common printing material
- [[ecoconception-en|Eco-design]] — material frugality and end of life
- **Manufacturing and materials course** (colleagues) — parameters, material choice, defects