3D printer glossary

The terms in the spec tables explained in plain English. Each entry links to the shortlist or article where the term actually changes a buying decision. Bookmark the page and hit Ctrl+F if you're looking for a specific one.

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CoreXY Bedslinger Volumetric flow rate (mm³/s)Active heated chamber Auto-levelling XY pixel size / resolution (µm)AMS / ACE / MMU Build volume Max hot-end temperature (°C)Input shaping Direct drive vs Bowden extruder Filament runout sensor Slicer PEI bed FDM vs resin (MSLA, SLA, DLP)

CoreXY #: A motion system where two stepper motors drive both the X and Y axes through a pair of crossed belts, and the bed only moves on Z. The advantage is that nothing heavy is moving on the fast axes, which means less ringing on tall prints and higher sustainable speeds. Found on Bambu X1C/P1S, Creality K1/K2, Qidi X-Series and Voron builds.; Read: CoreXY vs bedslinger explained →
Bedslinger #: An FDM motion system where the print bed itself moves on the Y axis (shuttling back and forth under the nozzle). The toolhead handles X and Z. Cheaper to build than CoreXY, fine for PLA at hobby sizes, but struggles at speed and on tall prints. Ender 3 generations and Prusa MK4S are the famous bedslingers.; Read: CoreXY vs bedslinger explained →
Volumetric flow rate (mm³/s) #: How much molten plastic the hot end can push through the nozzle per second. This is the real speed limit on any FDM print - the advertised 500 mm/s means nothing if the hot end can only melt 10 mm³/s. Mid-tier modern machines land at 15-20 mm³/s, genuinely-fast CoreXYs at 25-32 mm³/s.; Shortlist: fastest 3D printers by real flow →
Active heated chamber #: An enclosure with its own heater and temperature controller, typically targeting 45-70 °C chamber temperature. Essential for reliable ABS, ASA, nylon and polycarbonate prints - the chamber heat prevents corners warping as the print cools. A passive box around a printer is not the same thing.; Read: is an enclosed 3D printer worth it? →
Auto-levelling #: The printer probing the bed before a print to compensate for surface unevenness. Modern variants: BLTouch (mechanical probe), inductive probes, load-cell (the nozzle itself is the sensor - no extra probe to fail), LiDAR (high-resolution laser scan). Any auto-level beats manual levelling for a first printer.; Shortlist: best for beginners →
XY pixel size / resolution (µm) #: A resin-printer spec: how wide one LCD pixel is on the build plate. Smaller is better. 22 µm (typical of an 8K mono LCD) is sharp enough for 28 mm tabletop minis. 35-50 µm (older 4K screens) shows visible pixel steps on fine detail. Doesn't apply to FDM printers.; Shortlist: best for tabletop miniatures →
AMS / ACE / MMU #: Automated Material System (Bambu), Auto Colour Engine (Creality), Multi-Material Unit (Prusa). Accessories that swap filament mid-print without hand intervention, enabling multi-colour or soluble-support prints. Costs $250-500 on top and adds 30-50% print time through colour-purge waste. Useful for supports, not great for rainbow benchies.; Shortlist: best multi-colour printers →
Build volume #: The maximum physical size a printer can print in X, Y and Z - often given in litres in this site's shortlists for quicker comparison. A 220x220x250 mm bed is ~12 L, a 300 mm cube is 27 L. Cosplay helmets usually need 15 L+ to print in one piece.; Shortlist: best large-format printers →
Max hot-end temperature (°C) #: The maximum nozzle temperature the hot end can safely reach. PLA prints at 210°C, PETG at 240°C, ABS/ASA at 250°C, nylon at 260-280°C, PC at 290-300°C. If the hot end caps at 260°C, engineering materials are off the table regardless of what the chamber can do.
Input shaping #: A firmware feature (Klipper-style) that counter-compensates for frame vibration so the printer can move fast without leaving ringing artefacts on the print. All current-generation premium printers ship with it tuned. Without input shaping, a CoreXY at 300 mm/s produces visible wavy walls.
Direct drive vs Bowden extruder #: Direct drive: the extruder motor sits on the toolhead and pushes filament straight into the hot end. Bowden: the extruder is mounted on the frame and pushes filament through a long PTFE tube. Direct drive handles flexible filaments (TPU) and engineering materials better; Bowden keeps the moving mass down, which used to matter more before CoreXY.
Filament runout sensor #: A microswitch that pauses the print when the filament spool runs out. Lets you splice on a new spool and continue, instead of wasting the 8 hours of printing done so far. A standard feature on anything over $250 in 2026.
Slicer #: The software that converts a 3D model (STL, 3MF) into the per-layer printer instructions (G-code). Popular choices: Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, PrusaSlicer, Cura. The slicer is often more load-bearing for print quality than the printer hardware - a good slicer profile fixes more problems than a firmware upgrade.
PEI bed #: A build plate coated with polyetherimide. Prints stick when the bed is hot and release cleanly when it cools - no glue stick, no hairspray, no blue painter's tape. Smooth PEI gives glossy bottoms; textured PEI gives matte ones. Standard on every modern printer.
FDM vs resin (MSLA, SLA, DLP) #: FDM melts plastic filament through a nozzle, drawing each layer as a bead. Resin (MSLA / SLA / DLP) cures liquid photopolymer under UV, one full layer at a time. FDM is broader and cheaper to run; resin is sharper and specifically better for miniatures and jewellery. They're not interchangeable.; Read: FDM vs resin 3D printing →