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1. A metal drop ejecting apparatus comprising: an ejector head having a vessel with a receptacle within the vessel that is configured to hold a volume of melted metal; a planar member positioned to receive melted metal drops ejected from the ejector head; a directed energy source configured to direct a beam of energy toward the planar member; at least one actuator operatively connected to the directed energy source and the planar member; and a controller operatively connected to the ejector head, the at least one actuator and the directed energy source, the controller being configured to operate the ejector head to eject melted metal drops from the receptacle of the vessel towards the planar member, operate the directed energy source to direct the beam of energy onto melted metal drops that have hardened and cause the hardened melted metal drops to remelt to form a first oxidation layer on the hardened melted metal drops, and operate the ejector head to form one or more layers of the melted metal drops on the first oxidation layer to form a metal support structure on the first oxidation layer.
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