additive manufacturing

noun

: 3d printing

Instead of the old approach of carving a usable part out of a large block of material, additive manufacturing builds an object up layer by layer.

—Larry Greenemeier

Examples of additive manufacturing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The demonstration marked an early step toward using additive manufacturing for components traditionally produced through forging. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026

Manufacturing for Speed, Not Just Efficiency Ursa Major uses additive manufacturing to consolidate some propulsion components, reducing part counts and manufacturing handoffs. — Dennis Mitzner, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Czinger employs proprietary artificial-intelligence applications along with next-gen construction methods based on additive manufacturing (think 3-D printing) and robotics—a system capable of remapping the industrial landscape across categories. — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 15 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

2007, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for additive manufacturing

• fracturing
• nonmanufacturing
• remanufacturing