ASTM International, a global standards development organization, recently announced in Singapore, an investment of $300,000 and in-kind contributions to help develop the much needed 3D printing standards.
The announcement of these projects was made by ASTM International’s Director of Global Additive Manufacturing Programs, Dr. Mohsen Seifi. The funding will help partners in the ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence to address pressing technical information needs to formulate the 3D printing standards. A slew of projects were announced wherein the partners will work on specific standards simultaneously & individually to formulate these standards.
Matthew Donovan, who chairs the research and innovation group under ASTM International’s additive manufacturing technology committee (F42) said, “We are very fortunate to work with such renowned organizations to leverage their expertise towards standardization in additive manufacturing.”
Areas of Focus
The project will start with four important target areas, namely, feedstock, process qualification, post-processing, and testing. The four partners NASA, MTC, EWI and Auburn University will carry out their defined research to contribute to the standardisation process.
NASA
NASA, one of the most prominent partners will work towards developing standard procedures, metrics, and comprehensive requirements to help qualify machines and processes in laser-based powder bed fusion technologies. This process-qualification-and-assessment research will establish consensus across the AM community.
Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC)
Secondly, the UK-based Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) will work to formulate 3D printing standards to assess the metal powder quality to be used in additive manufacturing machines. This research will create a universal guide which will help people to ascertain the powder quality and recyclability.
EWI
Thirdly, EWI, the applied technology developer, will focus on understanding how various surface finish properties for AM products affect their strength, impact performance, and structural integrity. This post-processing research will help standardize surface quality and measurement metrics.
Auburn University
Lastly, the fourth partner, Auburn University will research the mechanical testing issues of metal additive manufacturing to understand the relationship between the properties of test samples and that of the parts. This study will contribute to a standard that provides guidance on designing specimens (i.e., test coupons) that are most representative of additively-manufactured components.
National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR)
In addition to all these projects aimed at metal additive manufacturing, National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), will focus on mechanical testing issues related to polymers used in 3D printing. This research will focus on setting up best practices and guidelines to apply existing mechanical testing methods to polymer products.
There is no deadline or timeline announced by the ASTM International with regards to completion of the project
ASTM International has not made any announcement with regards to the deadline or timelines of the project completion, but with such a funding push and involvement of partners like the ones mentioned above, the 3D printing standards will surely be formulated for mentioned target areas.
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