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.