Metal 3D printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), is an advanced manufacturing method that opens up new possibilities for designing objects with optimized geometries and minimized weight using far less material and energy.

One type of powdered-metal 3D printing is called binder-jet printing, in which thin layers of metallic particles are bound together in a computer-generated pattern using a low-temperature liquid binder jetted from a print head, similar to an ink-jet printer.

Printing a solid object with metal powders using micrometer-thick digital “slices” generated from a computer-aided design is not the end of the story.