Standardization News

The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials Signs MOC with ASTM International for Asia-Based Standards Activity

ASTM International and the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) have entered into a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC). The MOC will promote collaboration on initiatives that advance public health and safety related to water, sanitation, and hygiene in Indonesia, Philippines, and other selected member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The ASTM/IAPMO MOC was signed in June by Katharine Morgan, president of ASTM International, and Russ Chaney, CEO of IAPMO. 

The MOC will promote efficiency, economy, and technical advancement in drafting and updating referenced content in national technical regulations and related codes for water, sanitation, and hygiene by minimizing duplication and advancing the technical application of globally relevant and current codes and standards. 

By signing the MOC, ASTM and IAPMO agree to:

• Collaborate to advance the incorporation of IAPMO model codes, and the ASTM International standards cited in the IAPMO codes, in the national technical regulations and related codes of Indonesia and Philippines as well as other ASEAN member nations;
• Increase technical capacity and encourage sustainable solutions for water, sanitation, and hygiene based on IAPMO codes and ASTM standards, and
• Promote greater awareness of IAPMO and ASTM International in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and ASEAN workshops and meetings.

AENOR and ASTM International Sign Technology Agreement

Two of the world’s leading standards organizations have signed a commercial technology agreement that aims to expand the reach of their respective standards and related technical documents.

The signing took place in May at the global headquarters of ASTM International in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, The Madrid-based AENOR Internacional has several offices throughout Spain as well as in other European and Latin American nations. 

“This agreement reflects our shared commitment to using the latest technology platforms to deliver high-quality standards and information solutions to both organizations’ stakeholders,” said James Thomas, ASTM International’s vice president of sales and marketing. 

Through its online platform, ASTM Compass®, ASTM International will now provide access to all harmonized standards (ENs), making compliance with European Union regulations easier than ever and helping companies unlock entry into markets that follow European Union standards.

Rafael Garcia Meiro, CEO of AENOR Internacional, added, “We have had a strong commercial relationship for years, and we are pleased that technology has opened the door for us to deepen that partnership and explore new possibilities that will ultimately help society as a whole.” 

ASTM International Announces Additive Manufacturing Roadmap

ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) recently released the public version of its Strategic Roadmap for Research and Development (R&D). The roadmap communicates the goals and current progress of the center’s R&D program to the AM  community. 

According to Mahdi Jamshidinia, Ph.D., ASTM International’s additive manufacturing R&D project manager, “The roadmap provides a vision for the future of AM research and development to help align the activities of stakeholders around the common goal of harmonizing R&D with
standards development.”

This roadmap is for all industry stakeholders and AM experts who wish to gain insight into upcoming AM standards, participate in AM R&D for standardization, and learn how the AM CoE is supporting industry needs by filling standard gaps. The roadmap was developed under the direction of the AM CoE R&D team and the research and innovation group (F42.90.05) of the additive manufacturing technologies committee (F42). This document is the outcome of several in-person meetings, teleconferences, and review sessions. Learn more.

New Activities Highlight ASTM International’s Commitment to Resilience 

A series of recent activities, including a new webinar series and partnerships with both the International Code Council (ICC) and the Alliance for National Community Resilience (ANCR), highlight ASTM International’s longstanding commitment to developing standards for safe and resilient construction. 

“ASTM International and the global construction industry have long partnered to promote progress and innovation in building homes, offices, and other facilities worldwide,” said James Olshefsky, ASTM International’s director of external relations. “Increases in severe weather events and changing climate conditions have underscored the need for resilient construction and increased use of codes and standards to protect citizens from disasters.”     

A resilience webinar series commenced in May with two programs. The Hurricane Windborne Debris webinar took place on May 6. Speaker David Hattis, Building Technology Inc. and a long-time ASTM member, discussed the impact of windborne debris on building performance and two applicable standards (E1886 and E1996).

The Infrastructure Management Webinar happened on May 20. Using the case of Grenfell Tower in London, U.K., speaker Marty Rowland, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and an ASTM member, discussed the purpose and value of ASTM International’s practice for infrastructure management (E3210) in operations and how it can be used in organizations.  

ASTM International was also one of the supporters of the International Code Council’s Building Safety Month, which took place in May. 

The first two resilience webinars coincided with the month’s week one theme covering disaster preparedness and week three’s theme on resilience, sustainability, and innovation.

ASTM International has also recently partnered with the Alliance for National Community Resilience (ANCR). ANCR is a national coalition of public and private sector stakeholders working to advance community resilience. 

ASTM International Announces AM Data Strategic Guide with America Makes, Debuts Insight Video, New Data Subcommittee 

On June 8, ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE), in collaboration with America Makes, debuted a strategic guide that identifies gaps, challenges, solutions, and action plans for additive manufacturing (AM) data. 

The “Strategic Guide: Additive Manufacturing Data Management and Schema” comes as a result of a December 2019 workshop on the topic that was jointly organized by ASTM International and America Makes, and held in the Washington, D.C., area. The workshop brought together more than 100 experts from government, industry, and academia for a series of technical talks, panel discussions, and brainstorming sessions related to data in AM. 

Recent developments in digital data acquisition, analysis, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and modeling could quickly accelerate the AM development timeline. However, this growth has yet to be observed.

“A key and large gap in the development of an AM data ecosystem is how to easily and securely generate, store, analyze, and share critical and vital data,” says Mohsen Seifi, Ph.D., ASTM International’s director of global additive manufacturing programs. “A sub-gap is the consistency of the data that is gathered across multiple groups.”

“This strategic guide attempts to address a series of gaps and provide solutions and potential action plans to address the gaps,” notes Mahdi Jamshidinia, Ph.D., ASTM International’s additive manufacturing R&D project manager. “The guide provides a summary of discussions during the workshop and can be used by all industry stakeholders and AM experts who want to participate in the development of an AM data ecosystem and contribute to standardization.”

“The guide highlights the importance of data management and data principles that will benefit the broader AM supply chain and will serve as a resource to strengthen collaboration and ease the challenges common to AM data sharing,” says Brandon Ribic, technology director, America Makes. “We are grateful to all who worked on this effort and believe this guide complements the efforts of the AMSC and America Makes’ technology maturation strategic objectives.”

In addition to the guide, the AM CoE debuted a new video on data management that features interviews with key voices throughout the AM field. Watch the video.

Another workshop outcome was the creation of a new subcommittee on data (F42.08) within ASTM International’s additive manufacturing technologies committee (F42). The subcommittee will develop and perform value-stream mapping to identify the needs, processes, tools, opportunities, and dependencies required to obtain complete digital thread understanding.

This new subcommittee will provide a home for AM data experts where key standards activities can be coordinated, prioritized, and developed,” according to Alex Kitt, Ph.D., product manager at EWI and chair of the new subcommittee. Standardization of AM common data dictionary (CDD) is one of the initial documents underway in the subcommittee.