Debuting on our list of top metal printers is actually a metal material rapidly disrupting metal 3D printing.

Solid metal parts from a roll of metal-infused polymer filament has dramatically expanded access to 3D printing metal for a wide audience of professionals who had been priced out of the technology. Today, it is surging in popularity for everything from small replacement parts to heat sinks to injection molds. Once a novelty, real metal parts from desktop-size 3D printers using metal-infused filament is becoming serious business.

Metal FDM

Metal Filament 3D Printing – The Ultimate Guide

Making metal parts from metal filament is not only up to 90% cheaper than other metal 3D printing technologies for single pieces or low-volumes, but it eliminates many of the safety requirements often associated with metal 3D printing using loose metal powder and lasers, all while offering the same design freedom and very similar part quality.

Although there are a few metal filaments on the market, the most relied upon by far is from Forward AM, a division under BASF, one of the world’s largest chemical companies. Its metal-infused filament is called Ultrafuse, and it comes in 316L stainless steel and 17-4 PH stainless steel. Both filaments contain 80% metal powder in a proprietary polymer-based binder that produce nearly solid metal parts (98%+) when used properly.

Theoretically printable on a wide range of desktop FDM 3D printers, only BCN3D, UltiMaker, and Zortrax so far offer a full kit of hardware, software, and accessories designed to ensure successful printing. The main drawback of these three printer brands is that you have to send your parts out to a third-party service for the required post processing.

The Forge1 from Raise3D is a professional large-format metal 3D printer and part of the company’s MetalFuse solution, which includes the printer ($10,000), the D200-E debinding device, and the S200-C vacuum sinter furnace that can reach 1,500 ℃.

The MetalFuse system prints with BASF Forward AM Ultrafuse stainless steel filament, like the desktop FDM printers mentioned above, but Raise3D is the first company out of the gate with a complete 3-part solution so you don’t have to send your parts to a third-party provider for post-processing.

Raise3D says it can offer a streamlined workflow for in-house metal part production that also includes software that automatically accounts for print shrinkage so that the final size after debinding and sintering will be accurate.

The Forge1 printer boasts a dual-extruder, automatic bed leveling, filament run-out sensor, and HEPA filter with activated charcoal.

The dual-extruder comes in handy printing with the BASF Ultrafuse Support Layer, currently only available in Europe, which is an aluminum oxide material used for “layer isolation”. In other words, it enables breakaway supports as a separation layer between the support and the prints after sintering.

The Raise3D aims the Forge1 at small-scale production of metal end-use parts. Printed metal parts are 97% dense metal. The company recently announced a new service where, for Forge1 owners, it validates and optimizes your 3D model design to ensure that it will achieve the best printing and post-processing results.

BASF Ultrafuse 316L stainless costs about $500 for a spool of 3,000 grams. The 17-4 PH stainless steel is a little cheaper.

One Click Metal started as a spin-off from well-known printer maker Trumpf with the goal of producing affordable, easy-to-use metal 3D printing systems perfect for companies new to LPBF. One Click Metal works with cartridges eliminating the mess of metal powder, and it’s meant to be deployable with fewer requirements in terms of accessories and space.

It has a build volume of 150 x 150 x 150 and comes with the MPrep software and is meant to be paired with the MPure, which is the company’s 3-in-1 unpacking station that depowders the component, screens the powder, and provides recycled powder for reuse. The cartridge system of both the printer and the depowder station ensures easy and safe powder handling so that you have limited contact with the powder. With the side connection for a vacuum cleaner, you can efficiently remove excess powder from the unpacking chamber. The printer and unpacking station are sold as a bundle called the Boldseries.

The MPrint+ printer comes with a signal 200-watt fiber laser power generating a spot size of 45 microns. This affordable metal solution is also relatively zippy at a scanning speed of up to 3000mm/s.

US-based Xact Metal offers three laser powder bed fusion 3D printers with the latest, the XM300G, just introduced in September and slated to start shipping in 2023.

The XM200G integrates a high-performance galvanometer system to move the laser beam over the powder bed. This architecture allows for faster printing times and the ability to support multiple lasers, the company says. The printer offers the option of using two lasers simultaneously with either a 100% overlapping work area using a 100 µm spot size or a 66% overlapping work area using a 50 µm spot size. This multi-laser system further increases build print speeds.

In addition, the XM200G is aimed at companies that are just starting their entry into metal 3D printing in various applications, including product development and tooling manufacturing. The machine is highly configurable to match different applications. You can select from 100-, 200-, or 400-watt fiber lasers, and to keep costs down some features are optional, such as the glovebox option to ease powder handling and additional sensors for build monitoring.

Finely detailed parts are possible due to the machine’s laser spot size range (50 or 100 μm) with a minimum layer thickness of 20 microns.

The XM200G is relatively small with a 150 x 150 x 150 mm build volume, but the new XM300G is much bigger (300 x 300 x 350 mm) and features more powerful lasers 400W or 700W fiber lasers.

Although just now emerging from development mode, the Rapidia Conflux 1 (formerly Deisgnlab) is too interesting not to mention here. It uses a water-based paste material inlaid with metal or ceramic powders. Parts do not require a debinding step before sintering.

Designed for an office environment and easy to operate, the Conflux 1 from Rapidia is offered with a sintering unit and software. This machine isn’t technically FDM because it doesn’t use a filament, but it is an extrusion-based technology.  The metal paste replaces 98% of the plastic binder with water, which evaporates while printing. Rapidia eliminates the debinding requirements and accelerates final part delivery times to simple overnight sintering, the company says.

The Conflux 1 printer is paired with a vacuum sintering furnace, and an updated version is due out soon. Further cutting costs, the Conflux 1 furnace sinters some common metals, such as 316L, in standard Argon gas. With a hot-wall furnace design, it is also much more energy efficient than typical sintering furnaces, the company says, using just 62kWh for a sintering cycle. Next to metal, gas is the second largest expense in a system that requires sinter post-processing.

Current materials include 316L stainless steel, 17-4PH stainless steel, and Inconel 625. In development, the company says, are D2 Tool Steel, copper, cemented tungsten carbide, and titanium.

Boasting a compact footprint (it’s the smallest metal 3D printing system on this list) and slicing software with printer and print management features, the Markforged Metal X aims to be an easy-to-use machine promising to take your parts from design to fully functional metal parts in as few as 28 hours.

Metal for the Masses

Markforged Metal X: Review the Specs & Use Cases

The metal 3D printing process used in the Markforged Metal X, called Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing (ADAM), involves the process of using a bound metal powder filament. The resulting parts are then put into a debinder and sintered in separately available workstations.

The printer itself ($115,000) and the two post-processing components comprise the complete Metal X setup, with a total price in the region of $150,000, including close support from Markforged itself with its three-year “success plan”.

The main metal feedstock is used as support material, with a fine ceramic interface layer printed between supports and part to ensure clean breakaway post-sinter. The Metal X can print parts from proprietary filaments in 17-4 PH stainless steel, copper, H13 tool steel, Inconel 625, A2 and D2 tool steel.

Desktop Metal’s Studio System 2 metal 3D printer extrudes a metal filament (in the form of rods) to create the desired geometry (similar to the Markforged above), but it doesn’t need a debinding step to remove the plastic binder that holds the metal powder into a filament – or the associated equipment – when printing with 316L stainless steel. Prints from the Studio System are moved directly into the accompanying furnace that first heats parts to remove all binders from parts, then ramps up the temperature to near-melting for sintering.

Desktop Metal offers a separable supports technology that automatically generates seams throughout support structures, and prints a reformulated ceramic interface material between the support structure and the part, allowing parts to easily be removed by hand.

Metal Printing, Made Affordable

Desktop Metal Studio System: Review the Specs

Easing you into the process of printing metal parts is the company’s software called Fabricate that automates a lot of the metallurgy, such as automatically scaling your part (to account for sinter shrinkage), orienting it for ideal print and sintering success, and generating the separable supports. Upload your design and follow the onboard UI for step-by-step guidance, the company says.

The Studio System 2 is also compatible with proprietary materials, including H13 tool steel, 17-4 PH stainless steel, 4140 steel, copper, titanium Ti64, and D2 tool steel, but these require a separate debinding station. So far, only the 17-4PH stainless steel, 4140 low-alloy steel, D2 tool steel, and 316L stainless steel are printer-to-sinter compatible. 

The Desktop Metal Studio System 2 sells for approximately $110,000 for the complete system, including the furnace station.

Meltio, which makes a host of wire-laser metal deposition systems, aims to make the technology less intimidating and more accessible for machine shops and small to mid-size manufacturers with its newest addition, the M600 launched in 2024. The M600 is intended to integrate into production environments along side equipment like CNC machines, to not only print metal parts but also add features to existing components and repair damaged surfaces.

The M600 offers a range of automatic features that Meltio hopes will ease the introduction of laser wire direct energy deposition (DED) technology into more places, outside of its current niche areas, where it can offer increased metal part production speed with less waste. DED technology does not have the fine accuracy of LPBF but it is a fast solution for near net shapes that can be later machined to tighter tolerances.

Designed to perform 24/7 with minimal operator interaction, the M600 is a 3-axis 3D printer that uses common welding wire as its feedstock, which is much cheaper than metal powder and safer to handle. Available materials include stainless steels, titanium alloys, and nickel alloys, as well as reflective materials, such as copper and aluminum alloys.

Meltio says the material properties of parts from the M600 are comparable to conventionally manufactured parts. New for laser DED technology is Meltio’s use of a blue laser it says increases printing speed while reducing energy consumption. This short wavelength light combined this with the enclosed printer’s fully inert workspace, expands the available range of materials.

Meltio Horizon, the dedicated slicer for the Meltio M600 and the backbone to its automation, features a simpler profile selection and premade profiles that cover a large range of geometries and qualities. Workers can select stored presets and the machine workspace adjusts automatically. Engineers can use the slicer to also configure different sections of the build for print quality and speed and generate infills, including gyroid lattices.

Eplus3D now offers 12 industrial metal powder bed fusion machines, which begs the question: How many options do manufacturers need? The company offers a dizzying menu of build volumes and laser counts. The latest addition launched in January 2024, the quad-laser EP-M400S, builds on the success of the EP-M400 launched in April 2023, the company says. This new model brings “significant enhancements” including a new top feeding powder hopper and bi-directional powder re-coating, which reduces powder-spreading time by up to 30%.

The EP-M400S is also 10% smaller than the non-S version while reducing the build volume just a touch from 405 x 405 x 450 mm to 400 x 400 x 450 mm.

The smallest metal solution from Eplus3D is their EP-M150 LBPF machines designed for batch manufacturing of dental parts, medical implants, and material research, the company says. The company’s largest offering, with a build volume of 1,558 x 1,558 x 1,100 mm, is its EP-M1550.

The EP-M150 is a low-cost machine to operate, the company says, which is a feature after-thought for many purchasers but can drastically affect the bottom line. The machine has a powder feeding and sieving system that enables high material utilization, low gas consumption (0.8 l/min), and a tightly sealed chamber that minimizes gas leakage. The machine also features a clear UI and various security technologies for specialized industries.

Eplus3D also has a technical consulting team to help you select the right solution, or to go with their contract additive manufacturing  option. They can also help you figure out how to use advanced additive manufacturing to develop completely new business models, improve the efficiency of your existing productions, and create manufacturing innovations.

Kurtz Ersa, the giant German machine maker and technology corporation, got into the 3D printing market in 2021 with the Alpha 140. The aim was to deliver an entry-level metal printer with simple operation at a low costs for small and medium-sized companies.

Featuring an open perimeter system, you can develop your own processes adjusting the slicer according to individual requirements. The machine features a 200W fiber-coupled diode laser with a 110 micron focus diameter for fine details and thin wall thicknesses.

The Alpha has a small footprint so you can product parts in stainless steels, tool steels, and nickel-based alloys on any size shop floor. Kurtz Ersa says the Alpha 140 can achieve metal part strengths comparable to larger LPBF machines and has a metal part density of up to 99.9%.

An optional laminar shielding gas flow creates more optimum conditions for the inert welding process while keeping the laser optics protected. There’s also a proprietary LMI SliceAM software that integrations with Autodesk Fusion 360 and Autodesk Netfabb CAD programs.

Where Desktop Metal’s Studio System 2 provides an efficient route to metal one-offs, prototypes, and custom tooling, the Desktop Metal Shop System scales things up, swapping bound metal deposition technology for binder jetting technology to enable faster throughput of parts – all in a modestly-sized workshop-suitable form.

Designed with machine shops in mind, the Desktop Metal Shop System is available in a variety of build volume configurations (up to 12-liter capacity) and offers the capability to group different batches of parts into single print cycles – tooling-free – rattling off the full volume of parts within a typical shift.

The Shop System uses Desktop Metal’s own spin on binder jetting, with more than 70,000 nozzles depositing droplets of binder in a single pass onto the company’s proprietary metal powders. The company claims surface finishes as fine as 4 Ra microns are possible post-furnace.

The company also offers a larger metal binder jetting solution called the Production System, featuring what the manufacturer calls Single Pass Jetting technology that boost speed.

If you’re wondering how the three metal binder jetting options on the market stack up, we compare then in this article linked below.

Production 3D Printing

Binder Jetting Metal 3D Printing: Desktop Metal vs. HP vs. Markforged

The Production System’s open platform accepts low-cost non-uniform powders, such as those used for metal injection molding. That means manufacturers can continue to use their preferred MIM powders, or source locally. The Production System’s print parameters are adjusted to match.

Desktop Metal qualifies a variety of stainless steels, low-alloy steels, tool steels, along with copper, nickel alloys, precious metals and can work with you on your metal of choice.

3D System’s entry-level DMP Flex 100 metal 3D printer offers a build volume of 100 x 100 x 90 mm and the ability to print parts with overhangs down to 20 degrees without supports. Surface features as fine as 5  microns should mean a minimal need for post-processing. 3D Systems calls its technology Direct Metal Printing, where each layer is melted on to the previous one creating a strong and dense part (up to 99.9%).

The system’s 100-watt fiber laser, while lower power than those of the larger metal 3D printing solutions in 3D System’s line up, is powerful enough to handle a broad selection of the company’s metal powder library, including a variety of titanium grades.

Tailored to niche uses that demand fine detail, the DMP Flex 100 makes use of dedicated gas lines to achieve the vacuum necessary to print 3D System’s additive manufacturing-optimized powders. As such, it requires the necessary building infrastructure to facilitate this.

If you’re ready to move up from entry-level machines, 3D Systems offers five other, larger production units plus a networked factory solution.

Germany-based Trumpf launched the TruPrint 1000 LPBF in 2019 for the production of small industrial parts and, without changing the name, has since made a range of upgrades to the machine.

The “next generation” TruPrint 1000 has a full-field multi-laser capacity and what the company calls a “completely redesigned homogeneity of the gas flow” and it now fits through a standard door frame. Trumpf says this printer is aimed primarily at the dental industry.

The printer’s two 200-watt fiber lasers scan the build area simultaneously, which the firm claims can increase productivity by up to 80% when compared to similar machines. A powder bed monitoring system analyzes each layer for maximum part quality. A tilting recoated makes the powder application process faster, which further increases production speed and cuts part costs.

Also new is the fascinating multiplate option for volume production. The build cylinder can optionally accommodate up to four substrate plates, meaning the substrate plate can be exchanged automatically without stopping the LMF process. The machine software provides fully automatic support once the first build job is complete and the next one is being started. Completed build jobs are collected in an overflow bin.

TruPrint 1000 can process amorphous metals. These materials make it possible to produce parts with high elasticity and corrosion-resistance, while simultaneously cutting down on wall thicknesses. This reduces production times and final part weight.

Trumpf has seven other metal 3D printers in its portfolio of varying sizes and capacities. The TruPrint 1000 Green Edition features a green laser that enables it to 3D print highly reflective materials, such as copper and its alloys. Other machines in the company’s catalog scale power and production capacity up to higher-volume applications.

Trumpf‘s TruPrint 2000 3D printer that now has more laser power — 500 watts instead of 300 watts — and a square build plate instead of a round one. There’s also a new motorized beam expander that automatically adjusts the laser spot diameter (55 or 80 microns) according to the task at hand.

Optomec is one of the most rapidly growing metal 3D printer makers offering the LENS line of directed energy deposition 3D Printers for metal component production and repair.

LENS stands for laser engineered net shaping, and it is Optomec’s take on DED using  lasers and jetted powdered metals, alloys, ceramics, or composites. The atmosphere-controlled, multi-axis systems feature optional hybrid CNC capabilities.

The smallest of Optomec’s five DED machines is the CS250 featuring a 500 to 2000 W fiber laser, and a novel front powder loading system compatible with all common alloys, including steels, titanium, and aluminum.

Although the CS250 is aimed at universities and research, the LENS 860 Machine Tool Systems offers a larger build volume and higher power capabilities for additive and hybrid manufacturing metal processing. The LENS 860 system is ideal for building, repairing, or coating mid- to large-size parts.

Desktop Metal inherited the metal binder jet technology and patented materials of its closest rival ExOne when it acquired the company in 2021. Since then, those machines have seen some upgrades, including new names: InnoventX, X25Pro, and X160Pro. ExOne was one of the pioneers the commercialization of metal binder jetting almost two decades ago.

The X-Series differs from Desktop Metal’s Shop and Production systems in a number of ways. X-Series machines can all process ceramic powders, such as alumina and aluminum nitride, in addition to sand, “composite powders”, and metal powders.

The X-Series has what the company calls Triple ACT (Advanced Compaction Technology), which is a patent-pending way of dispensing, spreading, and compacting metal powders in the printing process. X-Series systems can achieve dimensional tolerances of less than 1%, the company says. By comparison, the Production System has ±2.0% dimensional tolerance.

Another difference between the X-Series and the Shop Systems is the print heads. The Shop System uses a less expensive thermal printhead, whereas the  X-Series and Production System printers use piezo printheads. Desktop Metal says piezo printheads may have higher resolution, better durability, and more performance and material options. The X-Series printers also do not feature an inert environment like the Production System.

The InnoventX is the company’s machine aimed at educating students, researching in labs, or getting started with application development. The InnoventX could be considered the step before the X25 Pro or the X160Pro. It’s print speed is just 54 cm3/h.

Industrial powerhouse GE currently offers nearly a dozen metal 3D printers – several Arcam EBM machines and four families of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) machines – and is developing a binder jetting option that should launch in 2024. GE calls LPBF “Direct Metal Laser Melting”.

GE Additive’s Concept Laser LPBF machines range from the smallest single laser Mlab R (90 x 90 x 80 mm) to the massive dual-laser X Line 2000R (800 x 400 x 500 mm). Mlab R can process an impressive list of reactive and non-reactive materials and produces fully dense parts with a surface finish that’s smoother than most. The small build volume is designed for research, prototypes, and precious metal parts. The modularity of the build chamber allows for quick and efficient material changes, and the semi-automatic sieving station enables powder reuse. The Mlab 200R version has a more powerful laser (200W) and the option of a larger build volume (100 x 100 x 100 mm).

GE is better known for its EBM machines, which are widely used in the medical industry for orthopedic implants and in aerospace for parts such as turbine blades. The Arcam EBM line boasts dimensionally accurate parts quickly and efficiently with a high-power electron beam for high melting capacity and productivity.

Placing emphasis on productivity, Renishaw’s RenAM 500 line is available in several configurations of one or four 500-watt lasers, each capable of hitting the entirety of the build volume. This enables the RenAM 500 to accomplish full-layer sinters quicker than single-laser systems, increasing output and, consequently, reducing cost per part.

There’s an automatic or flexible powder and waste handling. The flexible option enables you to change powders in-house while the automated system ensures operator safety and reduces the time required to operate and maintain the machine by recirculating. An “intelligent” gas flow system reduces both argon consumption and emissions.

The RenAM 500 features a typical build volume of 245 x 245 x 335 mm (substrate dependent) and can output some 150 cm³ per hour, depending on the geometries being printed and other material variables. The RenAM 500 series enables the production of components with >99.9% density, the company says.

In late 2023, Renishaw launched software called Tempus that uses a new scanning algorithm for its RenAM 500 series that enables the laser to fire while the recoater is moving, saving up to nine seconds per build layer or 50% of the overall build time.

Markforged is one of the leading 3D printer makers using extrusion technology for both metal and polymers, but to expand into metal binder jetting, it acquired the Swedish metal binder jet maker Digital Metal in 2022.

In 2023, Markforged renamed the Digital Metal binder jet printer as the Markforged PX100, available in two sizes.

Originally designed to prove that metal binder jetting could produce quality parts, not as a commercial piece of equipment, the PX100 was a bit over-engineered, the company says. Yet that engineering has led to a precision and part quality that sets it apart, according to Markforged.

The base of the machine is a slab of granite that’s required to stabilize the unit and eliminate vibrations during printing. This is why the PX100 is nearly twice as heavy as any other metal binder jetting solution. There are also smooth linear motors and air bearings, which Markforged says leads to exacting precision and static accuracy better than 1 micron.

The company’s binder jet solution focuses on producing large batches of small and intricate metal parts. With its 250 × 217 × 186 print volume, it can make larger parts, but customers have opted for this solution for its ability to make hundreds or even thousands of small parts at a time, such as watch faces and medical instruments.

Markforged offers the full ecosystem of accessories covering depowdering and powder management with your choice or manual or automatic versions.

Because the method doesn’t require heat or a curing or drying step, there’s no lengthy cool down or heat up, and the time between batches can be as little as 15 minutes.

HP  Additive – yes, a branch of the same HP that makes 2D printers, laptops, and ground-breaking polymer 3D printers –  unveiled its new and improved metal 3D printer in Sept. 2022. Called Metal Jet S100, it’s aimed at industrial-scale metal part production.

The company debuted the Metal Jet technology in 2018 and had some high-profile applications (Volkswagen, Cobra Golf) but did not release the machine commercially. Instead, it has worked closely with select companies in various industries on beta testing new features and processes before rolling out the S100.

The HP S100 metal 3D printer uses binder jet technology, which is a method of 3D printing that uses a liquid binding agent deposited in tiny drops on powdered materials in layers to create solid, complex shapes. As the build progresses, the print layers are bonded together, resulting in a powder box with the desired part geometry inside. The process is similar (but not identical) to HP’s polymer Multi Jet Fusion (MJF), only that it uses metal powder, specifically stainless steel (316L and 17-4PH).

Binder jetting has several advantages over traditional metal injection molding and other forms of metal 3D printing, depending on your requirements. The technology especially shines regarding speed since printheads typically work faster than lasers or electron beams. There’s also a far lower material cost with binder jetting because it can use the same commonly available metal powder as injection molding.

Using a thermal inkjet to precisely deliver HP binding agent to a powder metal bed of industry-standard materials, the Metal Jet yields green state parts that are up to 99% metal by volume. This also cuts down on the time-to-part by drastically reducing the need for debinding. HP Metal Jet parts, once printed, need only decaking and can be directly sintered in a furnace before further finishing steps.

Metal Jet S100

Is HP Now Revolutionizing Metal 3D Printing, Too?

HP seems to have taken the typical metal powder bed printing hazards out of the equation with its integrated platform, but it does appear to require investing in seven or eight pieces of equipment. A powder management station mixes and sieves the powder (much of which can be reused from previous prints) and fills the build unit, which then goes to the 3D printer. After printing, the build unit goes to the curing station and then to the powder removal station. At this point, the part is ready to be sintered in any industry-standard sintering furnace, after which it can be machined or finished if necessary. HP plans to sell the Metal Jet printer itself for about $400,000.

The smallest LPBF machine from EOS is now the M 290, which was introduced in 2014. The company discontinued the smaller M 100 in 2022, presumably ceding space in the entry-level, low-wattage category to the newer start-ups. And why not? EOS has a solid footing in production manufacturing and 3D printing service bureaus with its three larger machines, the M 300, M 400, and M 400-4. The larger machines focus on higher productivity with larger build volumes and more lasers.

In 2024, EOS launched its new M 290 1kW initially focusing on copper (CuCp and CuCrZr). The boost in laser power to 1,000 Watts isn’t completely unexpected. The manufacturer has been custom-fitting its machines with this power at its AMCM customization wing and decided it was time to let this unit out into the wild particularly to cater to customers in space, energy, and mobility.

In fact, the AMCM machines are some of the most specialized metal 3D printers on the market making parts for the CERN particle collider and combustion chambers for Launcher’s E-2 rocket engine.

EOS offers an impressive range of materials for its six core metal 3D printers with more than 20 alloys and 70 validated “processes” or printer setting to get predictable outcomes. The metal portfolio includes aluminium, cobalt chrome, nickel alloys, refractory metal, stainless steels, tool steels, and titanium.

Germany-based SLM Solutions, acquired by Japanese manufacturing giant Nikon in Jan. 2023, offers a wide range of LPBF machines, the smallest of which is the SLM 125, the little engine that could. Its 400-watt fiber laser has more power than the lasers of other similarly sized machines, the manufacturer claims, which cuts powder consumption by up to 80%. SLM markets the printer toward research work and low-volume manufacturing.

The SLM 125, can process both reactive and non-reactive metal powders, and its reduced number of powder-transporting components makes swapping materials quick and easy. Laser power monitoring and layer control systems constantly check both laser output and layer consistency for high accuracy, eliminating irregularities. The 125 x 125 x 125 mm print envelope is sufficient for one-off parts and prototypes, especially with the wide variety of materials, including stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium. Research institutes and parts producers looking for power in a small package shouldn’t dismiss the SLM 125.

A nice feature in SLM Solutions’ technology is the ability to directly scale the production process with the company’s expansive catalog of other printers. The firm has a machine for pretty much every production level, with the latest model addition being the generously sized industry-level NXG XII 600 launched in late 2020. Its 12 1,000-watt lasers and a 600 x 600 x 600 mm build volume provide not only size but speed – the company claims this is the fastest SLM 3D metal printer on the market.

The Velo3D Sapphire “next-gen” metal 3D printer sets itself apart as a volume production system with the advantage of support-free 3D printing and a one-meter tall build volume. Using dual 1-kilowatt lasers in its 315 x 312 x 1,000 mm print space, the Sapphire can print in aluminum F357, Inconel IN718, Ti 6Al-4V Grade 5, and Hastelloy (a nickel-chromium-iron-molybdenum alloy) C22 and X, plus recently added the nickel-based superalloy powder Amperprint 0233 Haynes 282.

For Velo3D, support-free geometries mean the Sapphire can achieve prints with overhangs of zero degrees – flat surfaces on the horizontal plane, basically. In addition to saving time on post-processing prints, the printer able to realize internal channels and volumes without consideration for support structures.

Velo3D also offers the new Sapphire XC printer, the name standing for “Extra Capacity.” True to its name, the Sapphire XC can increase production by five times compared to its sibling and reduce cost-per-part by 75%, the company claims. This XC has with a build volume of 600 x 600 x 550 mm and eight lasers.

Farsoon, the large Chinese 3D printer manufacturer, aims to cover all the bases of metal printing with a wide range of printer sizes. Its smallest is the FS121M. This flexible and open system enables you to select between multiple laser spot sizes, different recoating blades, and powder choices. The company offers an 8 x 1,000 W-laser machine, the FS721, and in 2024 just launched the  latest edition to lineup; the FS721M-8-CAMS, whew, that’s a mouthful. We’ll just call it Cams, which stands for Continuous Additive Manufacturing Solution.

This metal LPBF machine features an internal conveyor system, which the company says opens up new potential for series production with increased automation. Integrating eight 500W or 1000W lasers, Cams automatically transfers a completed build unit to an “inert breakout station” and loads a second build unit to start another print job. Billed as “continuous production capability” this system ensures minimal machine downtime between build jobs.

In addition to the print automation, the powder handling is also automated. The closed-loop powder handling system integrates multiple powder processes, including powder recycling, storage, sieving, and new powder supply.

Print speed on the Cams can be up to 300 cm3 per hour.

Farsoon’s FS273M laser powder bed fusion 3D printer (275 × 275 × 355 mm) has dual fiber lasers (2 × 500W) or a single 500W fiber laser. Its recoater design enables faster speed and more stable powder delivery throughout the whole manufacturing process, a preheated base plate, removable overflow containers, and a backup powder supply sufficient for a full build.

Farsoon machines are open platform systems, which means that all machine parameters are unlocked for the user as well as an open material policy.

AddUp, the French 3D printer maker, debuted its powder bed fusion machine, called the FormUp 350 in 2021. It’s a modular, production-focused 3D printer featuring a material handling system that’s designed to store, move, recover and sieve powder within an inert atmosphere, preventing operators from being exposed to fumes and smelting residues.

The FormUp 350 is the only machine on the market with an interchangeable coating device. Choose the powder spreading system best suited to your production: a scraper system for maximum productivity, or a roller system for improved surface finishing. The recoaters can also bidirectionally recoat for 40% faster action. The company says that you can select from up to four 500-watt fiber lasers, each covering the entire platform surface, offering more freedom during build preparation. AddUp offers nearly a dozen metal powders.

Designed for mass production applications, the FormUp 350 machine limits the time between each production run to one hour or less, the company says. A cooling system for the machine’s Z-axis lowers the temperature of the platform at the end of production, allowing parts to be unloaded more quickly (2 hours to cool down from 200 to 65°C, compared to 12.5 hours without active cooling).

With a generous build volume (350 x 350 x 350 mm) and a range of features designed for production manufacturing, the FormUp350 boasts open parameters so you can tune to your needs.

DMG Mori started off in Germany as a tool-making company in 1948 and has grown with the times now offering a wide range of machines for turning, milling, grinding, and some acclaimed metal 3D printers. The company’s hybrid laser DED machines feature fast DED metal production with the fine-tuning of CNCing all in the same machine.

The Lasertec 12 SLM is a laser powder bed fusion 3D printer with a 200 W or optional 400 W laser featuring a 125 x 125 x 200 mm build volume.

Layer thickness can get down to just 20 microns and DMG Mori boasts an open platform enabling you to adjust parameters to your heart’s content and pair the machine with nearly any metal powder.

The machine’s automated rePlug powder handling tech integrates powder recycling for maximum efficiency and work safety due to the closed material cycle.

The company’s larger, Lasertec 30 Dual SLM features two 600-W lasers.

BLT (Bright Laser Technologies) is the metal 3D printer giant from China offering 12 metal 3D printers employing laser powder bed fusion technology, a massive metal print service, metal powders, and engineering expertise as a service. Supporting a long list of global manufacturers with hubs in China, BLT machines are widely used in automotive, aerospace, medical, and tooling applications.

The company’s smallest LPBF machine, the S210, features a 105 x 105 x 200 mm build volume, a 500-W laser, real-time monitoring, and a modular design. It runs on Materialise Magics software and BLT’s own BLT-BP and BLT-MCS. For materials, the S210 can handle titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, superalloy, cobalt-chromium alloy, stainless steels, tool steels, copper, tungsten, tantalum, and magnesium alloy.

Moving up in size and complexity and rest of BLT’s printers offer larger build volumes, higher wattage multiple lasers, bi-directional recoaters, and more production-ready features helping you track and monitor batch volume metal prints.

Considered the company’s flagship machine, the S310 features single or dual 500-W lasers and a 250 x 250 x 400 mm build volume.