More and more, it’s clear that 3D printers aren’t just for printing plastic. A team at Michigan Technological University announced Monday that it has created a personal (albeit slightly dangerous) metal 3D printer. The design will be released for free to all as an open-source project and can be built from parts costing less than $1,500.

The printer works by laying down layers of steel that are sealed together with a commercially available welder that is integrated into the printer. The design is still in its infancy, but the team expects that making it open source will speed its development.

“Similar to the incredible churn in innovation witnessed with open-sourcing of the first RepRap plastic 3D printers, I anticipate rapid progress when the maker community gets their hands on it,” team lead Joshua Pearce said in a release. “Within a month, somebody will make one that’s better than ours…