In the process of metal 3D printing powder, equipment operators may try to avoid many problems, including porosity, residual stress, density, warpage, cracks and surface finish. Before the metal 3D printing powder is placed in the showroom or used in the engine combustion chamber, due to the uneven surface of 3D printing metal parts, it has undergone a large number of post-processing processes, such as CNC machining, shot blasting or sand blasting. Due to the influence of process properties, the direct energy deposition method will produce parts close to the final shape, which must be processed by CNC to meet the corresponding specifications.

Parts produced by powder bed melting method of metal 3D printing powder are closer to their final shape, but their surfaces are still rough. In order to make the surface of metal parts smoother, finer powder and smaller layer thickness can be used for improvement during machining. However, this method will increase the material cost, so it is necessary to strike a balance between surface finish and cost. Because the parts produced by powder bed melting process need to be post-treated to meet the corresponding specifications, sometimes the use of coarser particles can reduce the cost.

Even if the surface of parts is very rough, the defects can be greatly reduced by different levels of post-processing operations. This also means that the problem of surface finish is less important than other problems that may occur in the process of metal 3D printing powder.