Plastic component made with polymer additive manufacturing at ORNL's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility. 3D printing (or additive manufacturing, AM) is any of various processes used to make a three-dimensional object. Stereolithography is an additive manufacturing or 3D printing technology used for producing models, prototypes, patterns, and production parts up one layer at a time by curing a photo-reactive resin with a UV laser or another similar power source. In 3D printing, additive processes are used, in which successive layers of material are laid down under computer control. These objects can be of almost any shape or geometry, and are produced from a 3D model or other electronic data source. A 3D printer is a type of industrial robot. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory. ORNL's scientific programs focus on materials, neutron science, energy, high-performance computing, systems biology and national security.