What AM material is available in filaments, liquids, and powders and is used in material extrusion and selective laser sintering (SLS)?

The chosen answer is correct because polymers are highly versatile materials used in additive manufacturing (AM) across different techniques, including material extrusion and selective laser sintering (SLS). Polymers can be produced in various forms such as filaments for 3D printers utilizing fused deposition modeling (FDM) or material extrusion processes, liquids for processes like stereolithography (SLA), and powders suitable for SLS.

This flexibility in forms allows polymers to be adapted for various applications and manufacturing techniques, enabling a wide range of mechanical properties and aesthetic qualities to be achieved. Their compatibility with multiple additive manufacturing methods makes them one of the most commonly used materials in the AM landscape.

Other materials like metals and ceramics tend to have more specialized applications and may not be available in the same diverse forms or for the same range of AM processes. While composites can also be used in additive manufacturing, they are generally considered a combination of two or more materials, which does not fit the requirement of being distinguished across filaments, liquids, and powders in the same manner as polymers.