Data Formats in Additive Manufacturing^[1]

Data formats play an integral role in leveraging the flexibility of additive manufacturing and achieving consistent part quality. This article compares and contrasts data formats optimized for design, materials, processes, and inspection methods. It also discusses the types of data associated with the six phases of additive manufacturing, namely design, build, design with build plan, design with machine-specific build plan, post-processed part, and qualified part.