What additive manufacturing method involves depositing and curing drops of liquid or liquid-like material?

The additive manufacturing method that involves depositing and curing drops of liquid or liquid-like material is material jetting. This process works by using a print head to eject tiny droplets of photopolymer resin or other materials onto a build platform. Each drop is precisely placed, and the layer is subsequently cured using ultraviolet (UV) light, solidifying the material as it is deposited. This technique enables the creation of highly detailed and complex geometries with smooth surface finishes, making it suitable for producing intricate parts and prototypes.

Other methods like selective laser sintering rely on powders being fused together using laser energy, while fused deposition modeling works with thermoplastic filaments that are melted and extruded. Direct ink writing, although it does involve the deposition of material, typically uses more viscous materials and does not exclusively focus on the precise drop ejection and curing mechanism characteristic of material jetting.