Glossary
Common 3D printing terms used across this wiki.
- Bed levelling
- Adjusting or measuring the build plate so the nozzle stays a consistent distance from it across the whole surface.
- Bio-ink
- A printable material, often a hydrogel, that can carry living cells or biological components for bio 3D printing.
- CoreXY
- A motion system where two belts and motors work together to move the print head in X and Y, keeping moving mass low for faster, more precise motion.
- Duplication mode
- An IDEX mode in which both print heads print the same part at the same time, doubling output.
- FFF / FDM
- Fused filament fabrication (also called fused deposition modelling). A thermoplastic filament is melted and deposited layer by layer.
- FGF
- Fused granulate fabrication. Pellet 3D printing, where raw plastic granules are melted and extruded instead of filament.
- First layer
- The layer printed directly on the build plate. Its quality largely decides whether the whole print adheres and succeeds.
- G-code
- The machine instruction file a printer executes, generated by a slicer from a 3D model.
- Hotend
- The heated assembly that melts material before it leaves the nozzle.
- IDEX
- Independent dual extrusion. Two print heads on separate carriages that can work independently, in mirror mode or in duplication mode.
- Infill
- The internal structure printed inside a part, set as a pattern and a density percentage.
- Klipper
- Open-source 3D printer firmware that runs motion planning on a separate computer for higher speed and precision.
- Mirror mode
- An IDEX mode in which both print heads print mirrored copies of a part at the same time.
- Nozzle
- The final opening the molten material is extruded through. Its diameter affects detail and print speed.
- Retraction
- Pulling material back slightly during travel moves to reduce stringing and oozing.
- Slicer
- Software that converts a 3D model into layers and toolpaths, outputting G-code.
- STL
- A common 3D model file format that describes a surface as triangles.
- Z-offset
- The fine vertical distance between the nozzle and the build plate at the first layer.