3D Printing Glossary: The Terms Used in Our Guides

The machine

• Bed (build plate): the surface the part prints on. Its size limits the largest part, which is why big signs are split into pieces.
• Nozzle: the metal tip that melts and places the plastic. 0.4 mm is the usual size.
• Extruder: the part that pushes filament into the nozzle. A printer with more than one extruder, or a filament changer, can print in several colours.
• Hotend: the heated block and nozzle where the plastic melts.
• Filament: the plastic wire you feed the printer, such as PLA or PETG.
• AMS or multi-material unit: a filament changer that lets one nozzle print with several filaments.
• Enclosure: a box around the printer that keeps the air warm and steady, useful for materials like ABS.

Materials

• PLA: an easy, stiff plastic, good for most indoor projects. It softens at fairly low temperatures.
• PETG: tougher and a little more heat-resistant than PLA, with more stringing.
• ABS and ASA: strong, heat-resistant plastics that need an enclosure; ASA also resists sunlight.
• TPU: a flexible plastic for soft parts.
• Translucent filament: lets light through, used for glowing shades and lids.

Preparing a print

• Slicer: the program that turns a model into instructions for the printer, such as Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, Cura or PrusaSlicer.
• G-code: the instructions the slicer creates; the printer reads them line by line.
• STL / 3MF: model file formats. See which file do you need.
• Layer height: the thickness of each printed layer. Smaller is smoother and slower; 0.2 mm is typical.
• Perimeters (walls): the outlines printed around each layer. More perimeters make a stronger wall.
• Infill: the pattern inside a part. Percent sets how dense it is. Gyroid is a common, strong pattern.
• Top and bottom layers: the solid layers that close the part.
• Supports: temporary structures that hold up overhangs. Many of our designs print without them.
• Brim: a flat ring around the first layer that helps a part stick.
• Raft: a printed base under the part.
• Ironing: a slicer pass that smooths the top surface.
• Line width: how wide the extruded line is; usually close to the nozzle size.

While it prints

• First layer: the layer on the bed. A good first layer is the base for everything.
• Bridging: printing across a gap with nothing under it. Cord holes in beads are bridged.
• Overhang: a part that sticks out and has nothing under it.
• Warping: corners lifting off the bed as the plastic cools.
• Stringing: thin threads between parts, caused by plastic oozing while the nozzle moves.
• Retraction: the extruder pulls the filament back a little to reduce stringing.
• Elephant foot: the first layer squashed wider than the rest, which narrows slots near the bed.
• Flow ratio: a percentage that scales how much plastic is extruded; used to tune wall thickness.
• Under-extrusion and over-extrusion: too little or too much plastic, giving gaps or bulging walls.
• Z seam: the line where each layer starts and ends, sometimes visible on the surface.

Fit and tolerance

• Clearance: the gap you leave so that two parts fit. The Neon Sign tool uses a fit clearance for the strip and a clearance for the connectors.
• Tolerance: how much a printed size can differ from the model.
• Press fit: parts that go together with a little force.
• Print-in-place: parts that print already assembled, with gaps that let them move, like the joints of an articulated keychain.
• Captive joint: a ball or pin held in a socket so it cannot come out.
• Dovetail: a tab shaped like a dove’s tail that locks into a matching slot. Neon pieces use them as hidden connectors.
• Calibration cube: a small test print used to check that sizes come out right.

Lighting terms

• LED neon strip (neon flex): a flexible silicone LED strip that looks like glass neon.
• Side-bend: a strip that bends flat like a ribbon on its edge, used for lettering.
• Diffuser: a translucent layer that spreads the light so individual LEDs do not show.
• COB strip: chip-on-board strip, with so many LEDs close together that it looks like a continuous line.
• SMD strip: a strip with visible LED chips mounted on the surface.
• Constant-voltage supply: a power supply that holds a fixed voltage, such as 12 V or 24 V, which is what LED strips need.
• Voltage drop: the fall in voltage along a long strip, which can make the far end dimmer.
• Watts per metre: how much power a strip draws for each metre of length.
• Colour temperature: how warm or cool white light looks, in kelvin (K). Lower is warmer.
• Channel letters: hollow letters with LEDs inside and a translucent face.
• Hot spot: a bright dot where one LED shows through a diffuser.
• E14 and E27: the sizes of screw-cap lamp bases; E14 is small, E27 is standard.

Colour terms

• Multicolor print: a print that uses more than one filament colour.
• Inlay: a piece that sits in a recess of another so the two look flush.
• Filament colour assignment: telling the slicer which filament prints which part. A 3MF can include it.
• Purge waste: filament pushed out when the printer changes colour, so the new colour is clean.

Tool terms

• Fit test piece: a short sample from the Neon Sign tool to check your strip fits.
• Assembly guide: a picture in the Neon Sign download that shows where each numbered piece goes.
• Cuts (smart or even grid): how the Neon Sign tool splits a design into pieces for your bed.
• Diametral allowance: extra width added to a bore, like the lampholder opening in Lamp Studio.
• Bridges (in Neon Sign): slim bars that tie loose parts of the lettering to the body.