For many engineers, the biggest mystery surrounding metal additive manufacturing isn’t how the part is printed – it’s what happens afterwards. 

Does it need machining? 

How are the supports removed? 

How much finishing is required? 

With the Markforged FX10 Metal, the journey from printed component to production-ready part is surprisingly straightforward. Understanding each stage helps explain why bound metal filament technology has become such an attractive alternative for low-volume production tooling, replacement parts and functional components. 

Stage 1 – Printing the Green Part 

The first component produced by the FX10 Metal is known as the green part. 

It contains stainless steel powder held together by a polymer binder. At this stage the part is dimensionally accurate but larger than the final part and not yet fully metallic. The software scales the part up automatically, so the end user doesn’t need to account for this. 

During printing, support structures are created wherever required to support overhangs and complex geometry. 

Unlike conventional metal additive processes, the supports are separated from the part by a thin ceramic interface layer. 

This is one of the key innovations of the process. 

Stage 2 – Sintering 

Once printing is complete, the green part is placed inside a sintering furnace. 

During this process: 

  • the polymer binder is removed 
  • the stainless steel particles fuse together 
  • the ceramic interface material turns to powder 
  • the component shrinks predictably to its final dimensions 

The result is a dense stainless steel part with the supports no longer bonded to the component. 

Stage 3 – Removing the Supports 

Support removal is often much simpler than people expect. 

Because the ceramic interface has become a fine powder during sintering, a light tap with a steel hammer is normally enough to begin loosening the support structures. 

Markforged also allows supports to be intelligently segmented into radial sections or smaller cubes. 

Instead of fighting to remove one large support block, the pieces naturally break away, making post-processing faster and reducing the risk of damaging the finished component. 

Stage 4 – Finishing 

Once the supports have been removed, the component behaves like any other stainless steel engineering part. 

Depending on the application, it can be: 

  • Drilled 
  • Tapped 
  • Milled 
  • Ground 
  • Polished 
  • Painted 
  • Bead blasted 
  • Anodised (where appropriate for compatible alloys) 
  • Passivated 

Some parts require little or no further work, while others may receive machining on critical features to achieve tighter tolerances. 

Why This Matters 

The ceramic support interface dramatically reduces one of the biggest challenges in metal additive manufacturing – post-processing. 

Less time removing supports means: 

  • Faster turnaround 
  • Lower labour costs 
  • Reduced risk of damaging parts 
  • Better access to complex geometries 
  • More efficient production 

Combined with the FX10’s integrated printing workflow, this makes metal additive manufacturing practical for producing functional engineering parts in-house. 

Conclusion 

Metal printing doesn’t end when the printer stops. 

From green part to finished component, every stage is designed to produce a usable engineering part with minimal manual intervention. 

The result is a manufacturing workflow that gives engineers greater freedom to produce complex stainless steel parts quickly – without relying on long machining lead times or outsourced production. 

Ready to See the Process for Yourself? 

Seeing the workflow in person makes it much easier to appreciate just how simple the post-processing stage can be. 

At Mark3D, we can demonstrate the complete FX10 Metal workflow – from printing the green part through to sintering, removal and the finished component. 

Book a FX10 Metal demonstration to see the process first-hand and discuss whether metal additive manufacturing is right for your application.