<p>I'm working with a project involving 3D printing's terminology, but I'm not such an expert... so I was asking myself if someone can explain the meaning of the "downstream" adjective in this field. </p>

<p>More precisely, I'm dealing with this sentence: "Handle any downstream task", which I really can't understand because it has a very poor context. </p>

<p>I also have this sentence with the adjective that I'm having trouble with:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Confidently send your surfaces downstream knowing your results are usable design surfaces.</p>
</blockquote>

[{'answer_id': 7728, 'author': 'user5507', 'author_id': 5507, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5507', 'pm_score': 1, 'selected': False, 'text': '<p>Without more anymore context "downstream" could be in reference to a print that would be sent to another machine for post-processing. The post-processing machine is "downstream" from the machine used to make the print in the first place.</p>\n'}, {'answer_id': 7752, 'author': 'Greenonline', 'author_id': 4762, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/4762', 'pm_score': 0, 'selected': False, 'text': '<p>Imagine an assembly line and the flow of the material along that line. That flow is analogous to a river, and therefore any machining/processing following on from <em>any point</em> along that line is considered to be downstream of <em>that point</em>.</p>\n\n<p>From <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downstream_(manufacturing)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia - Downstream (Manufacturing)</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n  <p>Downstream in manufacturing refers to processes that occur later on in a production sequence or production line. </p>\n</blockquote>\n'}]
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