Selective electron beam melting technique (SEBM) is a kind of metal additive manufacturing technique using electron beam as heat source, can form high–performance metal parts with complex shapes. It has been widely applied in aerospace industrial, biomedical application, automobile manufacturing and other fields. The basic principle of selective electron beam melting technique is briefly introduced, the microstructure and properties of different materials produced by selective electron beam melting technique are reviewed, and the numerical simulation methods of SEBM process and the application of SEBM technique are also summarized in this paper. Finally, some problems to be solved in forming quality of selective electron beam melting technique are pointed out and its development trend is forecasted.