Global standards developer ASTM International has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Canada-based NSERC Network for Hollistic Innovation in Additive Manufacturing (HI-AM) to accelerate the development of 3D printing standards.
The agreement was announced at the fourth annual HI-AM Conference earlier this week and ultimately aims to further support the global industrialization of additive manufacturing technologies.
“One of our core values has been identifying partnerships with organizations that can support the acceleration of standards development,” said Brian Meincke, ASTM International Vice President of Global Business Development and Innovation Strategy.
“We are excited to work closely with the HI-AM Network and hope this partnership will advance and facilitate innovative global additive manufacturing standardizations.”
Driving forward AM standards
ASTM International is a global standards developer that publishes voluntary certifications for a range of materials, products, systems and services. The organization plays a key role in every sector that makes use of 3D printing through contributing to the development of additive manufacturing standards via its F42 additive manufacturing technologies committee, and its Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE).
For instance, the organization’s AM CoE recently signed cooperative agreement with NASA to identify potential 3D printing projects for the center to execute, while its F42 additive manufacturing committee is reviewing an additive manufacturing facility safety standard developed by ASTM and safety consulting and certification firm Underwriters Laboratories, and is in the process of developing a standard for the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 3D printing process.
In September, ASTM also launched its third round of funding to support research projects that encourage standardization in the field of additive manufacturing. The funding will facilitate eight different projects that ultimately aim to “align technical standardization with the rapidly evolving AM industry.”
Most recently, ASTM published a special issue journal on additive manufacturing during Covid-19 which looked at how the pandemic has affected various areas of advanced manufacturing.
The MoU between ASTM and HI-AM
According to ASTM and HI-AM, the MoU will enable the partners to work more closely on standards activities and to promote information exchange on topics of interest. Additionally, the agreement will seek to encourage greater industry participation from Canada in the standard development process for additive manufacturing technologies.
“Many members of HI-AM Network’s academic team are already members of ASTM International and at the forefront of the international effort to develop standards for additive manufacturing,” said Ralph Resnick, HI-AM Chairman of the Board and former America Makes President and CEO. “I am delighted that we are strengthening this already robust relationship through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.”
The NSERC HI-AM Network aims to address the challenges and barriers that are currently preventing the industrial adoption of metal 3D printing, while also seeking to equip Canada for the “era of Industry 4.0”. Based at the University of Waterloo, the HI-AM Network consists of 19 leading additive manufacturing experts from seven Canadian universities.
The first “work item” ASTM and HI-AM will focus on is the development of best practices for in-situ defect detection, while the second will explore benchmarking of powder bed density measurement.
“Advancement of AM technologies requires robust research and development programs, and HI-AM Network has demonstrated invaluable contributions to support filling standards development gaps in this field,” said Dr Mohsen Seifi, ASTM International Director of Global Additive Manufacturing programs.
“We are thrilled to partner with world-class universities in the HI-AM Network to focus on key industry challenges and have already registered two standard work items as a result of this collaboration.”
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Featured image shows Additive Manufacturing at AMCOE. Photo via ASTM International.
