STL file
Pronunciation: S-T-L file
Also written as: STL — Standard Tessellation Language
A standard digital file format (stereolithography) used to represent three-dimensional surface geometry, widely used in dental laboratories to exchange scan data between scanners, CAD software, and milling or printing machines.
Full Definition
STL (Standard Tessellation Language or, originally, STereoLithography) is a file format that encodes the surface geometry of a three-dimensional object as a mesh of triangular facets. In dental laboratory contexts, STL files are generated by desktop or intraoral scanners and used in CAD software to design restorations before manufacture by milling or 3D printing. Editors copy-editing technical dental content must render the abbreviation consistently ('STL file,' not '.stl file' in running text) and understand that proprietary formats (e.g., .3oxz, .nxa) may coexist with STL in the same workflow description.
Usage
Usage note: In running text, write 'STL file' (all capitals, no preceding period). Reserve the lowercase extension '.stl' for file-path or code contexts only.
In Context
- "The laboratory requested an STL file of the preparation rather than a physical impression." — Laboratory Work Order
- "Ensure that 'STL file' is capitalised consistently and not rendered as '.STL file' in running prose." — Technical Article Copy-editing