Standardization News

The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), based in Ansty Park, Coventry (United Kingdom), is joining ASTM International’s recently-announced Center of Excellence in Additive Manufacturing. MTC will be the first non-U.S. founding partner and is supported by leading research organizations across Europe.

The UK government established the MTC in 2010 as part of a major investment in research centers called the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. The MTC now employs over 600 people who help bridge the gap between academia and industry by supporting R&D, training, and more. The MTC is home to the UK’s National Centre for Additive Manufacturing and hosts the European Space Agency’s Space AM Benchmarking Centre.

“We are thrilled to bring on board one of the world’s most exciting new leaders in additive manufacturing,” said Dr. Mohsen Seifi, ASTM International’s director of global additive manufacturing programs. He noted that MTC’s proposal was one of the highest-ranked among dozens of proposals submitted last year. “Clearly, MTC will play a key role in achieving the vision of filling industry gaps in AM standardization and driving innovation on global scale.”

“We are excited to join this vitally important effort to build a strong technical foundation for the future of additive manufacturing,” said Professor Ken Young, MTC’s technical director. “Standards are critically important to enable industry to exploit AM technology. To be recognized by ASTM International for our AM capability and to be included as the first non-US partner is a great honor.”

MTC’s National AM Centre includes an industrial scale end-to-end facility encompassing metals, polymers, and ceramics technology. The MTC has expertise in material testing, process simulation, design, and part inspection, all of which support robust AM process chains.

The announcement coincides with significant expansion of the Centre, including a $20m UK-government funded project to develop the next generation AM factory for aerospace parts. Professor David Wimpenny, MTC’s chief technologist, notes that the MTC also has strong links with research and industrial partners worldwide that will help strengthen the activities and amplify the investments made through ASTM International. In addition, Wimpenny says that MTC is interested in supporting the development of training courses to foster a workforce pipeline that will, in turn, support rapid industry growth.

The announcement was made on May 15 at the first meeting of the Center of Excellence’s R&D Team at Auburn University in Alabama (USA). MTC’s David Wimpenny, chief technologist, participated in the meeting along with the Center of Excellence’s other founding members – EWI, Auburn University, and NASA – who were jointly announced in March.

The team discussed how it would plan priorities with respect to R&D projects that could be funded by ASTM International, industry consortia, and external sources. In addition, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Drug Administration, and the National Institute for Standards and Technology shared regulatory perspectives on certification of 3D printed products.  

For an overview of ASTM International’s leadership in AM standardization, click here.  

ASTM International’s committee on additive manufacturing technologies (F42) was formed in 2009. The committee, in conjunction with the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) Technical Committee 261, has worked and continues to work closely with the Additive Manufacturing Standards Collaborative to identify and fill a variety of gaps across multiple industry sectors.