The TÜV SÜD Group was founded in 1866 specifically as a steam boiler inspection association, but over the years, the German testing and certification organization has broadened its focus to improve the safety and reliability of technology, systems, and expertise all over the world, contributing to high-tech innovations like autonomous driving, Industry 4.0, renewable energy, and 3D printing. Recently, the organization created a free range of checklists for coronavirus manufacturers to use in their production processes, which cover the main regulatory requirements for using AM.
It also just announced that it has performed its first combined audit in the AM industry for Sauber Engineering AG, resulting in the issuance of the ISO 9001 and DIN SPEC 17071 certificates for metal and plastics production.
Christophe Blanc, audit team leader for Industrial AM Production Site Certification at TÜV SÜD, said, “We are delighted that a TÜV SÜD audit team comprising additive manufacturing (AM) and quality management (QM) experts completed a combined audit for the first time, delivering maximum customer benefits.”
Part of the Sauber Group of companies, Sauber Engineering is focused on developing new, cutting-edge manufacturing methods for high-quality components, and has one of the Hinwil, Switzerland region’s most advanced and varied machine parks, with seven SLA and six SLA polymer 3D printers, four DMLS large-frame metal 3D printers, and advanced heat treatment processes, like hot isostatic pressing.
ISO 9001 is based on several quality management principles, such as strong customer focus, process approach, motivation and implication of top management, and continual improvement. One of the basic requirements for DIN SPEC 17071 certification, which is the first guideline for QA-assured processes that defines standardized AM requirements, is proof of an effective quality management system, audited and certified by an auditor who’s been appointed by an accredited certification body. That’s why Sauber Engineering was interested in a combined audit, its AM processes would be efficiently assessed from the AM and QM expert viewpoints simultaneously.
“Receiving these two certifications is an important step for Sauber Engineering. It is an acknowledgment of the high level of quality of our work and of the consistently high standards to which our whole production process, from design to manufacturing, sticks,” said Christoph Hansen, Director Technology & Innovation, Sauber Engineering. “To undergo a combined audit in this field was a challenge Sauber Engineering successfully tackled, the smooth process demonstrating our technical expertise in this field.”
According to Matthias Herrmann, TÜV SÜD’s ISO 9001 lead auditor, AM suppliers and manufacturers need both an effective management system and good product quality to be successful. Now that the combined audit has been completed, resulting in the ISO 9001 and DIN SPEC 17071 certificates, Sauber Engineering can certify that it has both. This is good news, as the company is focusing on further developing its offering and growing its customer base in more industries.
“In my view, the business success of manufacturers in the field of additive manufacturing can only be ensured where these two components can be combined smoothly,” stated Herrmann. “With precisely this in view, TÜV SÜD now offers a new combined, fully integrated and interlocked service which confirms to manufacturers in AM that they are experts in their field.”
TÜV SÜD’s new Industrial AM Production Site Certification service pairs its knowledge of the organizational and system-related requirements that AM production companies must possess in order to run a successful business with expertise in 3D printing methods and printed products, so it can help companies, like Sauber Engineering, improve.
(Sources: TÜV SÜD, Sauber Group)
Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
Print Services
Upload your 3D Models and get them printed quickly and efficiently.
You May Also Like
Hyperion Robotics, UK National Grid to Use 3D Printing for Low-Carbon Substation Foundations
Hyperion Robotics, a Finnish provider of additive construction (AC) solutions specializing in low-carbon infrastructure projects, has partnered with UK utilities giant National Grid to test the use of 3D printed...
Ukrainian Researchers Partner with NSF, US Navy to Turn Debris Into New 3D Printed Buildings
Ukrainian researchers have started a project to try to turn waste from demolished buildings into new 3D printed ones. This is especially relevant in Ukraine, where tens of thousands of...
Verustruct’s Housing-Ready 3D Printing Tech and the Former SpaceX Engineer Behind It
Nick Callegari never planned on building houses. But after designing spacecraft parts at SpaceX, he decided to aim for something a little closer to home. The result is Verustruct, a...
RIC Robotics Teases Zyrex Giantroid Robot For Dreambuilding
RIC Robotics is teasing the Zyrex, what it calls a Giantroid. 6 meters in height with a 7 meter span, the autonomous (but human-monitored) construction robot is slated for release...