The FDM process forms three-dimensional objects from CAD-generated solid or surface models. A temperature-controlled head extrudes thermoplastic material layer by layer.The designed object emerges as a solid three-dimensional part without the need for tooling.

• The process begins with the design of a conceptual geometric model on a CAD workstation
• The design is imported into a program that mathematically slices the conceptual model into horizontal layers
• Another piece of software is used to generate the supports as required. The system operates in the X, Y and Z axis. In effect, it draws the model one layer at a time