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3D printing has evolved rapidly since the initial concept invented in the late 1970s. The main idea is to join different layers of material using a digital model input from a CAD software to create a three dimensional object, a process also widely known as Additive Manufacturing (AM). Nowadays, 3D printing lists a number of different applications in several industries such as medicine, manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, construction, architecture, jewelry, food and more. The possibilities are endless due to the multiplicity of different technologies and materials, offering a wide range of geometrically complex, largely scaled models with high-precision and reliability. In this paper some of the most commonly used 3d printing technologies are presented and compared under specific parameters that affect the final result in terms of accuracy, functionality and usability. A wide list of the printing materials is considered, as well as the advantages, disadvantages and different applications of these technologies.

This paper is a first step in assuring the quality of the printed models with regard to their geometry. Although the surface of an imported, model considers manifold and non self-intersected in several cases the printed model lacks consistency and accuracy. For this reason errors such as thin faces, overlaps, gaps, non-manifold structures and self-intersections may appear in the printed models. This comparative survey of printing technologies will facilitate in future work, (i) the identification of geometrical issues that occur in certain printing technologies and (ii) the characterization of the corresponding frequency of occurrence.