RAS question
3D printing technology is also known as:
Correct answer: (A) Additive manufacturing.
3D printing technology is also known as additive manufacturing, a process that builds three-dimensional objects layer by layer from digital designs.
Explanation
Additive manufacturing is the exam phrase for 3D printing because the object is made by adding material, one thin layer at a time, rather than by cutting material away or using a mould. NIST describes additive manufacturing as fabrication of three-dimensional products from digital designs, built up layer by layer; it also notes that metallic, plastic or ceramic materials are typically placed precisely from a digital design file. This matches the standard 3D-printing idea in the question: polymers, metals or ceramics are shaped into the required part, with examples such as aerospace parts, medical implants, construction uses and defence prototyping. So option A names the technology family, while the other options describe different manufacturing routes.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Die casting is a traditional manufacturing process, not the layer-by-layer digital fabrication described for 3D printing.
- (C) Subtractive manufacturing removes material, as in CNC machining, whereas additive manufacturing builds parts by adding material layer by layer.
- (D) Injection moulding uses moulds, while NIST distinguishes additive manufacturing as a process that builds material layer by layer rather than moulding it.
Concept
This tests the Science and Technology concept of emerging manufacturing technologies. It recurs in RAS because 3D printing links basic technology terminology with applications in industry, medicine, defence and infrastructure.