Metal 3D Printers

Modern metal 3D printers are divided into two main technologies: industrial Selective Laser Sintering of metal powders (SLM) and extrusion-based FDM printing using metal-filled filament followed by sintering in a furnace.

Each method is designed for different manufacturing requirements and operating environments:

• SLM Technology (Selective Laser Melting): direct laser printing from metal powders. It provides maximum material density (up to 99.9%) and industrial part strength. In our catalog, this technology is represented by industrial systems from Metal3D, Eplus3D, FastForm, and compact research setups from ShareBot.
• FDM/FFF Technology (print + debinding + sintering): printing with metal-infused plastic filaments followed by chemical washing and sintering in a high-temperature furnace. This method is much easier to maintain, safer, and more cost-effective. The gold standards in this segment are systems by Markforged (Metal X, FX10 series), Raise3D (MetalFuse, Forge1 lines), and large-format industrial printers from Omni3D that support printing with metal filaments.

The process of creating metal parts with an FDM printer consists of three consecutive stages: printing with metal-filled filament (the "green" part), chemical debinding of the polymer binder (the "brown" part), and final sintering in a furnace.

Key stages of this technology (as seen in Raise3D and Markforged systems):

• Printing: The printer extrudes a metal-infused filament layer-by-layer, where metal micro-particles are bound with wax and polymer binder materials.
• Debinding: The green part is washed in a solvent debinder station, removing primary wax and opening capillary channels for subsequent sintering.
• Sintering: Inside a high-temperature furnace in a protective argon or nitrogen atmosphere, the remaining polymer binder burns out completely, and the metal particles fuse into a solid steel part. Slicer software automatically scales the model by 15–20% before printing to compensate for sintering shrinkage.

The main difference is that SLM technology builds a finished metal part directly inside the build chamber using a laser, whereas FDM requires an additional, time-consuming chemical debinding and sintering process in a furnace.

Key operational differences:

• Strength and Structure: SLM parts have a fully isotropic, cast-like structure, maximum density, and are certified for aerospace and defense applications. FDM parts have slight porosity (around 2–3%), yet their strength is more than sufficient for industrial tooling, dies, and machine parts.
• Facility Requirements: SLM systems require specialized room preparation, handling of explosive fine powders, protective argon gas, and airlocks. FDM systems (such as those from Markforged) are clean, completely safe, and can operate in an office or a standard workshop environment.

Modern metal printers can print with a wide range of alloys, including tool and stainless steels, titanium, aluminum, copper, nickel, and cobalt-chrome alloys.

Material selection depends on design requirements and technology:

• Stainless and Tool Steel (17-4 PH, H13, 316L): Perfect for molds, tooling, machine components, and tools. These are available both as powders for SLM systems by ShareBot and as filaments for extrusion printers.
• Copper and Aluminum: Used for heat exchangers and highly conductive electrical components.
• Titanium (Ti6Al4V) and Superalloys (Inconel): Applied in extreme conditions (aerospace sector, medical implants, chemical industry).

Metal 3D printing equipment is purchased to rapidly manufacture unique parts with complex geometries that are impossible or too expensive to produce using traditional milling or casting.

The most economically justified use cases include:

• Fabricating unique lightweight components with internal conformal cooling channels for engines or molds.
• Professional metal 3D printing for rapid machinery repair, custom medical implants, and prosthetics.
• Replacing small-batch casting and traditional CNC machining for complex brackets, calipers, and functional prototypes.

When purchasing a 3D printer for metal 3D printing from 3DDevice, you receive not only the hardware itself, but also an official distributorship, certified installation and commissioning, professional operator training, and comprehensive service support throughout Ukraine.

We understand that investing in advanced industrial 3D printers requires a reliable, long-term engineering partner. This is why leading Ukrainian enterprises choose us:

• Authorized import and licensed software: We work directly with manufacturers, which guarantees fully legal equipment supply, an official warranty, and no issues with software licensing.
• In-house certified engineers: Our specialists have been certified at manufacturers' factories to handle installations of any complexity, as well as regular scheduled maintenance.
• Certified raw material supply: We ensure stable supplies of licensed metal powders and filaments.
• Proven engineering experience: We don't just sell hardware—our company operates industrial metal and polymer systems daily, performing complex prototyping and small-batch production, so we know every single technical nuance of this equipment firsthand.