Standardization News

ASTM Receives Award to Develop Construction Sector Technology Roadmap

ASTM International has been awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop a roadmap for guidance and adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies in the construction sector.

The funding, which totals nearly $300,000, would be used for the development of a roadmap that will seek to bring together the construction and manufacturing sectors and various aspects of advanced manufacturing including:

• Additive manufacturing;
• Robotics and automation;
• Big data analytics; and
• Artificial intelligence.

“ASTM International is grateful for this award and the opportunity to develop this effort as we know the significant impact it will have within the construction sector,” says Mohsen Seifi, Ph.D., ASTM’s vice president of global advanced manufacturing programs. “ASTM is uniquely positioned to lead this project based on a proven track record in Industry 4.0 related topics through the ASTM Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) and Wohlers Associates, powered by ASTM International.”

Seifi notes that a developed roadmap will identify and prioritize development goals that will enable acceleration and growth of potential advanced manufacturing technologies.

This is the second round of awards in 2022 through NIST via their Advanced Manufacturing Roadmap Program (MfgTech). The program aims to provide funding for the development of manufacturing technology roadmaps in advanced manufacturing domains with potential and critical interest.

In addition to ASTM International, funding was awarded to six other organizations including Edison Welding Institute Inc., the University of Houston, and Case Western Reserve University, among others. These projects aim to reduce technological adoption barriers through a joint consortium between various stakeholders.

NIST also recently awarded Auburn University’s National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence and ASTM’s AM CoE nearly $1 million to establish a framework that will allow for identification of critical defects and prediction of fatigue performance within non-destructive evaluation data.

ASTM International is looking to collaborate with parties interested in contributing to the development of this construction technology roadmap. Interested parties can reach out at amcoe@astm.org.

Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence Publishes 4th Annual Report, Launches New Website

Today, ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) published its fourth annual report, highlighting the organization’s growing research to standards portfolio, industry partnerships, acquisitions, workforce development programs, team expansion, and more.

The annual report features a robust list of major accomplishments – including the acquisition of global intelligence leader Wohlers Associates – and updates on activities and projects in the following areas:

• research and development;
• education and workforce development;
• standardization and certification; and
• European Union consortium.

“The core objective of the AM CoE is to pave the way for the AM technologies to be more broadly available by accelerating standardization through strategic R&D, certification programs, key global partnerships, education initiatives, advisory services, and innovation,” notes Mohsen Seifi, Ph.D., ASTM’s vice president of global advanced manufacturing programs. “This report captures the many accomplishments of the AM CoE and the holistic approach to meeting this key objective.”

Specific accomplishments highlighted in the report include:

• 12 new, fully funded R&D projects that directly fill standardization gaps;
• launch of the Consortium on Materials and Data Standardization (CMDS);
• the new operator certification program;
• the AM CoE’s leadership in three America Makes projects with a combined total effort of more than $1 million; and
• a successful ASTM International Conference on Additive Manufacturing (ICAM 2021) that included more than 850 attendees representing over 35 countries, and 475-plus technical talks.

The AM CoE annual report also features an overview of Wohlers Associates’ activities, updates on communications, funding, and key events, and an overview of the center’s leadership team.

In tandem with the annual report, the AM CoE also launched a new, more interactive website to serve as a hub for their activities. Here, visitors can more easily learn about the AM CoE’s research and development activities, available products and services, key industry partnerships, upcoming programs, webinars, and events, education opportunities, and much more.

Visit the Am CoE to learn more.

ASTM to Provide Assistance to Ghana’s Petroleum Industry

Jim Olshefsky, ASTM International’s director of external relations, met with Alex Dodoo, director general of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) during the 66th Council Meetings of the African Organisation for Standardization (ARSO) in June. The ARSO meeting was held in Yaounde, Cameroon.

During his meeting with Dodoo, Olshefsky noted that ASTM has developed standards that can help Ghana continue to build a strong petroleum industry.

According to Dodoo, the government of Ghana would like to realize the oil and gas potential of the country in a sustainable manner that will create jobs and support economic growth.