A Dutch Engineer Built a Real LPBF Metal 3D Printer for Under $10,000

The Price Barrier Is Starting to Crack

Laser powder bed fusion metal 3D printing has always come with a stiff entry fee. Industrial LPBF systems from EOS, Trumpf, and SLM Solutions routinely cost between $200,000 and $1 million. That puts the technology out of reach for everyone except large manufacturers and well-funded research labs.

Tom Bakker, a Dutch engineer with a background in LPBF, custom machine building, and semiconductor equipment, thinks that price is wrong. His company, Metal-Base, has built a compact floor-standing LPBF system with a list price under EUR 8,500, or roughly $9,300. Beta units are already running at test sites. A Kickstarter campaign added 20 more units to the order book.

What the Machine Actually Does

The Metal-Base 1.0 uses a 445 nm, 60 W diode laser. The build area measures 128 by 100 mm, with an optional extension to 128 by 150 mm. Layer heights run from 0.05 to 0.10 mm. The materials list includes 316L stainless steel, Inconel 718, bronze (CuSn), and copper in development. Density is near-full for stainless and Inconel, and high for bronze.

The machine uses a nitrogen atmosphere and ships with documented handling procedures. It runs Klipper-based motion control and uses OrcaSlicer, an open-source slicer, for job preparation. That software choice matters: it means operators do not need to learn a proprietary workflow before they can start printing.

How Bakker Got the Cost Down

The traditional LPBF cost structure is dominated by the fiber laser, the motion system, and the optics. Bakker replaced the fiber laser with a diode array, which is significantly cheaper and still delivers adequate power density for the layer thicknesses the machine targets. He re-engineered the optics and motion control to work with that lower-cost laser rather than bolting a cheap laser onto an existing industrial platform.

Bakker has already sold six units to beta testers. Those systems are running. The feedback loop from those early customers is shaping the production design, which is a better position to be in than running simulations in a clean room.

Who This Is For

The stated target market is labs, startups, enthusiast makers, and R&D teams. That is a broad category, but it accurately describes the gap Metal-Base is trying to fill. A university materials department that wants to run LPBF experiments currently has two options: partner with an industrial user, or raise a six-figure grant. Metal-Base removes the second option's funding barrier entirely.

Rapid manufacturing and small-batch production shops are another obvious customer. A small service bureau that currently outsources metal AM work can bring that capability in-house for the price of a used car. The build volume is modest, but for prototyping, tooling inserts, and small-series production, it is enough.

The Caveats

A EUR 8,500 LPBF system is not going to replace an EOS M 290 in a production aerospace environment. The build volume is smaller. The laser power is lower. The materials list is narrower. The throughput will be slower. Anyone expecting industrial-grade output at this price point will be disappointed.

LPBF also involves real safety considerations: a class 4 laser, fine metal powder that is reactive in air, and a nitrogen environment that requires proper ventilation. Metal-Base ships with interlocks and safety documentation, but the operator still needs to know what they are doing.

The Bottom Line

Metal-Base is not claiming to democratize high-volume metal AM. It is claiming to bring LPBF to places that currently cannot access it at all, and the specs suggest it is close to delivering on that promise. Six beta units are already running. If those machines hold up under sustained use, the price point will force the rest of the industry to respond. Industrial LPBF has been a closed market for a long time. That is starting to change.