I just watched a webinar on a system to print metal parts from a company called MarkForged that I've been following for a while. They started out making a printer for kevlar.
The new system is still well above home shop pricing, but much lower than others I've seen. Basically a 3 machine system with a total list price of $125K for the three machines.
Machine 1 ($100K) is the printer. The print medium is powdered metal bound with two types of plastic binder. Unlike the method used by Shapeways, the printed part isn't fragile. The maximum size is fairly large and can print parts that weigh up to 10 pounds or so. To print you upload an STL file. The software adjusts the sizes for shrinkage.
Machine 2 ($10K) is a parts washer. Here a special fluid removes most of the binder leaving the part porous.
Machine 3 ($15K) is a sintering oven that uses a cycle of heating and cooling to finish the part. Oven is electric but baking is in at nitrogen-argon atmosphere.
The demo part shown was a type of machine jaw in 17-8 steel. 3 hours to print, 9 hours to wash, and some number of hours to bake (can't remember exactly). Accuracy of the finished part is several thou per inch. The part shown in the webinar didn't require any machining afterwards.
Unlike the Shapeways SS parts, there is no other metal infused. Currently they are supply 17-8 and 316 stainless, and have aluminum in testing.