Terminology
The umbrella term additive manufacturing (AM) gained wide currency in
the 2000s, inspired by the theme of material being added together (in
any of various ways). In contrast, the term subtractive manufacturing
appeared as a retronym for the large family of machining processes with
material removal as their common theme. The term 3D printing still
referred only to the polymer technologies in most minds, and the term AM
was likelier to be used in metalworking and end use part production
contexts than among polymer, inkjet, or stereolithography enthusiasts.
By the early 2010s, the terms 3D printing and additive manufacturing
evolved senses in which they were alternate umbrella terms for additive
technologies, one being used in popular vernacular by consumer-maker
communities and the media, and the other used more formally by
industrial end-use part producers, machine manufacturers, and global
technical standards organizations. Until recently, the term 3D printing
has been associated with machines low-end in price or in capability.
Both terms reflect that the technologies share the theme of material
addition or joining throughout a 3D work envelope under automated
control. Peter Zelinski, the editor-in-chief of Additive Manufacturing
magazine, pointed out in 2017 that the terms are still often synonymous
in casual usage but that some manufacturing industry experts are
increasingly making a sense distinction whereby Additive Manufacturing
comprises 3D printing plus other technologies or other aspects of a
manufacturing process.