Supports
Also known as: Support structures
Supports are temporary printed structures that hold up overhanging parts of a model during printing and are removed afterward.
Supports are scaffolding the printer adds under overhangs and bridges that would otherwise droop or fail because there is nothing beneath them. After printing, you break or dissolve them away.
Supports cost extra material and time and can mar the surface where they attach, so designs are often oriented to minimize them. Deciding where supports are needed is a key part of preparing a print in the slicer.
Slicer
A slicer is software that converts a 3D model into the layer-by-layer instructions a 3D printer follows to build the object.
Overhang
An overhang is a part of a 3D model that extends outward beyond the layer below it, which may require supports to print cleanly.
FDM
FDM is a 3D printing method that builds objects layer by layer by extruding melted thermoplastic filament through a heated nozzle.
Put Supports to work this week.
Knowing the term is step one. The business kits ship the systems and templates that turn concepts like this into a running operation.