Object production

A method of producing an object, the method comprising:

• providing some metal or alloy;
• performing, using an Additive Manufacturing apparatus, in an environment containing an amount of a reactive contaminant, an Additive Manufacturing process to produce an intermediate object from the provided metal or alloy, wherein the Additive Manufacturing processes includes heating the provided metal or alloy thereby causing at least some of the metal or alloy to react with the reactive contaminant in the environment so as to produce contaminated metal or alloy, the intermediate object comprises the contaminated metal or alloy, and the intermediate object comprises one or more regions in which concentration level of the contaminated metal or alloy is above a threshold level;
• based upon the threshold level and a concentration level of the contaminated metal or alloy within one or more of the regions, determining a temperature and a duration;
• and
• sintering the intermediate object for a duration that is greater than or equal to the determined duration at a temperature that is greater than or equal to the determined temperature and less than the melting point of the metal or alloy so as to disperse the contaminated metal or alloy from the regions to one or more further regions within the intermediate object having a lower concentration level of the contaminated metal or alloy until the intermediate object comprises no regions having a concentration level of the contaminated metal or alloy above the threshold level, thereby producing the object.