Standardization News

A proposed new ASTM International standard will describe how to plan and conduct an interlaboratory study involving additive manufacturing processes or materials. The standard (WK49230, Guide for Conducting Round Robin Studies for Additive Manufacturing) will focus on how to manage such a round robin, providing guidance for planning to ensure that the process, logistics and tools are identified and agreed on in advance.

"One way to improve confidence and encourage proliferation of additive manufacturing technologies and parts is by generating more high quality data describing the performance of processes and parts," says ASTM member Shawn P. Moylan, Ph.D., a mechanical engineer and project leader in the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Moylan notes that many experts in the additive manufacturing community see the round robin approach as a viable way to create such data, but there isn't much guidance available for conducting interlaboratory studies specifically in additive manufacturing.

Manufacturing companies, equipment vendors, university research labs and government agencies are among those who could use the proposed standard to help qualify additive manufacturing materials and processes. Use of the standard will potentially improve the manufacture of high value complex parts used in aerospace and medical devices, among other applications. All interested parties are invited to join in the standards developing activities of Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing Technologies

CONTACT Technical Information: Shawn P. Moylan, National Institute of Standards and Technology • Gaithersburg, Md. • tel +1.301.975.4352 | ASTM Staff: Pat Picariello • tel +1.610-832-9720