An international study published in Materialia reports that researchers successfully fabricated Fe-Mn-C degradable alloys via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) using irregularly shaped Fe, Mn, and C elemental powders directly. Traditional degradable alloys require pre-alloyed atomization into powder—a costly and time-consuming process with lengthy grade validation cycles. This new route employs low-cost elemental powders for in-situ alloying, achieving target composition and mechanical properties in the as-printed state, significantly shortening the material development chain. Given the clear demand for iron-based degradable metals in biomedical applications (e.g., bone screws, vascular stents), this short-process material approach could accelerate clinical translation and large-scale adoption. For powder buyers, the implications are: (1) the in-situ alloying route using elemental powders (pure iron, electrolytic manganese, carbon) may divert some demand from pre-alloyed powders, so monitoring the technology race in medical degradable alloy powders is key; (2) reduced sphericity requirements for irregular elemental powders could open application windows for non-spherical powders in specific scenarios; (3) it is advisable to track standardization and clinical registration progress of iron-based degradable alloys.