Fused filament fabrication

Fused filament fabrication (FFF), also known as fused deposition modeling, or filament freeform fabrication, is a 3D printing process that uses a continuous filament of a thermoplastic material. Filament is fed from a large spool through a moving, heated printer extruder head, and is deposited on the growing work. The toolhead, also known as printhead with the heated nozzle is controlled by a computer executing g-code files that are generated by a slicer which generates movements to match a 3D file.

In one common design, the toolhead moves in two dimensions to deposit one horizontal plane, or layer, at a time; the work or the print head is then moved vertically by a small amount to begin a new layer.
"Fused filament fabrication" was coined by the members of the RepRap project to give an acronym (FFF) that would be legally unconstrained in use.

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Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0