It uses a digital file to quickly inkjet a binder into a bed of powder particles such as metal, sand, or ceramic to create a solid part, one thin layer at a time. When printing metals, the final bound metal part must be sintered in a furnace to fuse the particles together into a solid object. Binder jet 3D printing, compared to both traditional manufacturing and other forms of 3D printing, enables manufacturers to more affordably produce complex parts with unique benefits, such as size and weight reductions, part consolidation, and performance improvements. Because of the broad material flexibility of binder jet 3D printing, Desktop Metal employs a tiered qualification system for production of powdered materials: In all, more than 30 metals and ceramics are qualified on DM printers. The Production System P-1 is qualified to 3D print 17 metals, including stainless steels, low-alloy steels, copper alloys, tool steels, nickel-based alloys, precious metals, and more.