Nature, Published online: 21 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11185-0

A free-form additive manufacturing method that uses alternating and pulsed heat inputs is described for fabricating metre-tall, centimetre-diameter single crystals of Ti-6Al-4V, as well as hard-to-process refractory metals, including W, Mo, Nb and MoNb alloys.