There is a newish technology called Selective Laser Melting, this is pretty much 3D printing in metal. What it does is slowly melt a metal powder in layers so that a solid form is built up, then all that needs to be done is to get rid of the metal powder [I'm assuming to be reused] and then there you have the shape!
This method of manufacture allows for super super fine component parts, and can be used to create a structural shape with out all the weight. This is done through making a structure with poles twice the diameter of a human hair. The layers can be as thing as 25 microns so one can only imagine how revolutionary and groundbreaking this technology is... it totally destroys the concepts of metals needing moulds to be formed, and therefore takes away the constraints of how fine you can cast a mould and the issues associated with moulding a piece.
So the metals that it is compatible with is zinc, titanium, stainless steel, bronze, tool steel, chromium cobalt as well as MCP low melting point alloys [not sure what that is, anyone?] it says that it works for almost any type of metal material... but seems to work more with metals of relatively low melting points... [can anyone confirm this? the other groups perhaps?]
Anyways these are the links that i used for information...
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