Classification of the emerging freeform three-dimensional printing technique

Freeform three-dimensional (3D) printing technique is a promising additive manufacturing field, enabling researchers to produce complex shapes with advanced materials. Mainly used for soft material deposition within a support matrix, these techniques were able to overcome issues encountered in classical additive manufacturing processes, mainly related to lack of self-supporting properties. Numerous freeform 3D printing works were performed since its initial proposition, associated to an equal number of process names and acronyms, leading the scientific community to declension or misuse of definitions or terms. To overcome this lack of standardization, this article gathers the existing freeform 3D printing techniques to define six clear classes, also including the processes that were not explicitly termed in their original reports. This article also provides a brief overview of application domains where freeform 3D printing appears as an important asset to go further in the manufacturing of soft matter.

Automated summary

Freeform three-dimensional (3D) printing technique is a promising field in additive manufacturing, allowing for the production of complex shapes with advanced materials. This article aims to address the lack of standardization in terminology and provide an overview of the application domains for freeform 3D printing.