A Northwestern University team has shown a new technique using liquid inks and common furnaces rather than more expensive lasers or electron beams.
 

In addition to being cheaper, the researchers say the process is also faster, more uniform and works with a wide variety of metals, alloys and compounds.

"Our method greatly expands the architectures and metals we're able to print, which really opens the door for a lot of different applications," said assistant professor of materials science and engineering Ramille Shah, who led the study.

Shah created a liquid ink from metal powders, solvents and an elastomer binder that could be printed through a nozzle in much the same way that plastic-based consumer 3D printers function. The printed structures are then sintered, a process in which they are heated in a simple furnace to allow the powders to merge together without melting.