Magnesium alloys are of great interest for producing biodegradable load-bearing implants and recently the first commercial magnesium compression screw has been presented. To achieve an ideal patient-centered care, future implants especially for osteosynthesis applications will be individually adapted to the patient. Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a well-established technology for manufacturing individual and complex shaped implants from metal powder like titanium and cobalt-chromium alloys. Currently magnesium alloys are not established within this process. First investigations have shown a non-standard behavior which makes it difficult to achieve a certain process quality that is required for medical applications. In this contribution the effects for this specific material behavior are investigated and the latest results regarding SLM of magnesium alloys are discussed thoroughly.