Carbon Glossary

Automatic Operation

A part of the AO Suite, the AO Backpack is an M3/M3 Max printers accessory that enables unattended printing with minimal downtime between cycles.

This platform is designed to work with the AO Backpack and must be used in place of the standard build platform included with the M3/M3 Max printer. The AO platform can be used for standard manual printing.

Application Programming Interface

Automatic Print Preparation

American Society of Mechanical Engineers

The process by which M3/M3 Max printers fitted with an AO Backpack remove small debris to ensure continuous operation.

A raft, or base raft, is a supports feature that spaces bar supports closer together with large bases that connect most, or all, supports together in a single unit.

Base Exposure Multiplier - The unitless factor that the base exposure time is multiplied by to change the amount of time the first slice is cured. The first slice of a print commonly requires a higher amount of exposure to promote adhesion to the platform. The base exposure multiplier (BEM) is the multiple of nominal exposure compensation applied to the base.

The bin is an accessory that comes with an AO Backpack, which holds the parts basket and captures resin that drips off parts.

The bridge holds the platform and moves it vertically during printing on M3 and M3 Max printers. See also Build Arm for M1, M2, and L1 printers.

Brightline uses high photon doses at the edge of the part but reduces the photon dose in the interior of the part. This reduction in total photons reduces light scattering. (aka brightlining)

Consists of all Parts laid out on a platform ready for printing.

The build arm holds the platform and moves it vertically during printing on M1, M2, and L1 printers. See also Bridge for M3, M3 Max printers

See Print Time

Carbon Academy. Carbon's educational platform used by customers and employees to learn about Carbon materials, equipment, processes, etc.

The cassette is a removable appliance that sits on the printer deck and holds liquid resin during printing.

Carbon Design Program (retired)

Brand name for Carbon cyanate ester: CE 221 (retired resin)

The chiller is an external accessory that removes excess heat from the coolant that is circulated through the L1 printer. This keeps the printer cool and functioning normally.

A mounting point used on the M3 to ensure that the cassette and platform are precisely installed in the printer. Each clamp pot in the printer is aligned with a Pull Stud on the cassette or platform. See also Pull Stud.

Continuous Liquid Interface Production Carbon's proprietary CLIP technology enables DLS parts to avoid window contact due to the "continuous liquid interface" between the part and the window. The heart of the CLIP process is the dead zone.

Print preparation software not directly tied to a printer, allows customers without a printer to access much of the software stack

Contract Manufacturer

Process Capability Index

Carbon Production Network The Carbon Production Network (CPN) is a global ecosystem of leading industry design firms and contract manufacturers who are experts in the Carbon idea-to-production platform.

The area of the part currently printing. The current UV projection slice.

Refers to the formation of crystals in Part A of certain EPU resins. Crystallization occurs when resin is stored below recommended temperatures, especially during shipping. The crystals can impede dispensing and affect the appearance of printed parts. To mitigate crystallization, follow instructions for individual EPU resins on the Dispensing & Printing Grid of or the specific EPU course or protocol sheet.

The amount of resin that goes beyond the build slice. Cure-thru occurs when light penetrates vertically through a thin slice of material and cures resin on the back side of the slice. It is essentially overcure in the Z axis. This phenomenon causes holes to be oblong and 0.050 - 0.200 mm smaller than nominal in the Z axis. (See also Overcure)

Diacetone alcohol

The date on which a material is first produced, as recorded in the batch record and stated on CoA/CoC.

The defining component of DLS printing, the dead zone is a thin oxygen-rich layer of resin above the window. The oxygen inhibits curing, which keeps the printed part from sticking to the window and maintains space for liquid resin throughout the print.

Based on the STL geometry, the deepest pixel is the longest distance (in pixels) that resin must flow to reach the interior of the part. The largest distance across all parts for a given slice will be displayed.

Part Defect: Part has disconnected slices with horizontal, eye-shaped holes.

Digital Light Processing. A 3D printing (additive manufacturing) technology which utilizes light and a liquid resin to make solid parts and products.

Digital Light Synthesis™ Carbon's breakthrough resin-based 3D printing process that uses digital light projection, oxygen-permeable optics, and engineering-grade materials to produce polymeric parts with exceptional mechanical properties, resolution, and surface finish.

Dimethyl Adipate (retired solvent)

Date of Manufacture

The door is the curved, transparent yellow barrier that encloses and protects the build area.

DiPropylene glycol Methyl ether. A solvent used to wash parts after printing.

A Carbon-produced resin with engineering-grade mechanical properties produced by curing with both light and heat. UV light sets the initial shape of the part during printing. Heat applied to the part after printing activates a secondary chemical reaction that causes the material to take on exceptionally strong characteristics.

Emergency Stop. Refers to the large red button on powered Carbon hardware (M1, M2, M3, L1 and Smart Part Washer) that immediately stops operation of the equipment in an emergency situation.

Early Access Program. A program where Carbon gives customers early access to a product. materials, software, etc.

Exposure Compensation

Environmental Health and Safety

End of Life

Brand name for Carbon elastomeric polyurethane materials: EPU 40, EPU 41, etc.

Brand name for Carbon epoxy materials: EPX 82, EPX 86FR, EPX 150

Enterprise Resource Planning

Exposure Time

The last day on which a material should be used. End of Carbon’s guarantee of product performance according to specification.

The amount of time the light engine will emit photons to cure a slice.

Fused Deposition Modeling, an additive manufacturing technology that builds parts by melting a filament of thermoplastic material.

Force Feedback

An application where you can set up one or more folders from which to automatically upload files to Carbon for the purpose of automation.

Foot-activated switch at the bottom of printers and the part washer. M1/M2 printers open/close the door, M3/M3 Max printers open/close the door and optionally start a print, L1 printers start the print, and the part washer opens/closes the lid.

A built-in feature in generation 2 printers (M3, M3 Max, L1) that allows the printer to adapt in real-time to suction forces and resin flow. This leads to more first print successes and fewer print defects. A FFB print plan adjusts as the printer measures forces.

Brand name for Carbon flexible polyurethane materials: FPU 50.

Flame Resistant

How one Part relates to another in an automation Pipeline, typically by an order number or patient case.

Sometimes referred to as heating elements, span the projection volume opening in M3, M3 Max, and L1 printers. It is used to warm certain resins during printing to decrease viscosity.

High Density Polyethylene

Intermediate Bulk Container. Also called IBC tote. Carbon materials can be shipped in 1000 liter IBC totes for production applications.

The original file uploaded to the Carbon cloud.

Isopropyl Alcohol. A solvent used to wash uncured resin from parts after printing.

The product of the light intensity and exposure time that the printed part receives during printing.

The amount of shelf life remaining when the product is shipped. Typically Carbon resin products are sold with a Minimum Useful Life of six months, but there are exceptions (for example, DPR 10 has a Minimum Useful Life of 3 months). Consult the Price List for the Shelf Life and Minimum Useful Life of Carbon resin products.

Meter, Mix, and Dispense equipment used for 2-part resins.

Metamaterials Library - resource library behind Design Engine's Lattice Search

The type of file you are printing which tells automation software how to prepare the Part for printing.

During the pump down stage, how fast the platform moves down to the height of the next slice. Pump down speeds are generally 1.5-3x faster than pump up speeds.

How fast the platform moves during the pump up stage after finishing a slice. Faster pump up speeds generally mean higher print forces, which can affect print success.

Brand name for Carbon Multi-Purpose Polyurethane: MPU 100.

Network Connectivity Device. The NCD is a laptop used during installation to verify that each printer is connected to the network.

Original Equipment Manufacturer

Operational Qualification

Resin that cures beyond the build slice in the XY plane. Overcure is an effect caused by light scattering horizontally at the edges of a slice, where the material is thinner and less opaque. This scattered light cures resin adjacent to the part and typically causes an additional 0.010 - 0.075 mm of part curing. This effect is greater in smaller cavities due to higher local temperatures. (See also Cure-thru)

An oven going over the specified bake temperature.

Also referred to as an External O2 Source, used to supply oxygen to an L1 printer, which may be an oxygen concentrator or oxygen tank.

The value range applied with a print plan adjustment parameter across a specified slice range. The value can be constant or linearly interpolated to ramp the parameter up or down.

When an input file has been prepared for printing in an automation Pipeline, it is now considered a Part.

see Cross section

The set of instructions in an automation Pipeline to prepare a Part for the printing process, such as orienting, supporting, labeling, etc.

see Slice

The parts basket is an accessory that comes with an AO Backpack, which holds parts that have been removed automatically from the AO platform.

Propylene Glycol. A solvent used in conjunction with IPA to clean CE 221.

A set of automation instructions that includes all of the information required to take individual Parts and generate a Build queued for printing.

The platform is a removable appliance with a flat surface upon which parts are printed. It is held in place by the printer's build arm (or bridge), which moves vertically to build parts. When printing is completed, the platform is removed from the printer so that parts can be processed.

The useful life of mixed resin. Once a two-part resin is mixed, it must be used within a certain amount of time. Each two-part resin has a specific pot life.

Print Plan Adjustments

Performance Qualification

During the settle down stage, this is the minimum amount of time before the print forces will be considered settled, regardless of the force reading from the print. If the printer used is force-feedback capable, force feedback may add additional delay above this minimum.

The program created by the printer software during print analysis that controls the printer movements and the creation of the part during printing.

An estimate of the print speed per slice (all 5 stages). On force feedback capable printers, this estimate may not be able to fully account for the influence of force feedback on the print: force feedback may increase or decrease the print speed during the print.

(Build Time) The amount of time (hours, minutes, seconds) it takes for a build setup to print.

Mounting points on the M3 cassette that align with the clamp pots on the build area deck to lock the cassette in place. Pull studs ensure that the cassette is precisely installed in the printer. See also Clamp Pots.

Height (mm) + slice thickness the platform moves up and then moves back into place for the next slice projection to promote resin flow.

Quality Assurance

Quality Control

See base raft

An adhesive film placed over the printer platform to make it easier to remove printed parts.

Return Merchandise Authorization. This document is required when sending damaged equipment back to Carbon.

Return on Investment

Brand name for Carbon rigid polyurethane: RPU 70, RPU 130.

The process of packing parts in salt during thermal curing in order to mitigate deformation.

The locking mechanism used on L1 printers to ensure that the cassette and platform are precisely installed in the printer. There are four schunks on the deck, or floor of the build area and four on the underside of the build arm for the cassette and platform respectively. They use air pressure to open and hold closed if not pressurized.

Safety Data Sheet

The last day that a product can be scheduled to ship to the customer to ensure adequate minimum useful life (shipments can be made past sell-by date if Sales Ops communicates to customer and they are willing to accept a shorter useful life).

The length of time that a properly packaged and stored material will last without undergoing physical or chemical changes.

Brand name for Carbon Silicone materials: SIL 30.

Stereolithography, an additive manufacturing technology that builds parts by curing liquid resin using a laser.

2D cross sections through the part where UV light is projected through the liquid resin to cure it into a solid. Parts are created by projecting a series of slices over time.

The range of slice numbers to which the print plan adjustment parameter is applied.

The thickness in microns (µm) used to “slice” the part into projections.

An estimate of how long each slice will take to print (all 5 stages). On force feedback capable printers, this estimate may not be able to fully account for the influence of force feedback on the print: force feedback may increase or decrease the time per slice during the print.

Selective Laser Sintering, an additive manufacturing technology that builds parts by melting metal or thermoplastic powder using a laser.

Standard Operating Procedure

Statistical Process Control

A file format used to describe digital 3-dimensional models using triangles. Widely used by additive manufacturing technologies.

Technical Data Sheet. This document lists properties (mechanical, thermal, biocompatibility, etc.) for Carbon materials and is available on

User Interface. Typically refers to the printer UI, which is the software used to prepare and print parts on Carbon printers.

Underwriters Laboratory (safety certification)

Brand name for Carbon Urethane Methacrylate: UMA 90. 1 part resin.

Week Over Week