ASTM International Launches 3D Printing Group’s 4th Annual Report

In 2017, standards organization ASTM International, which develops and publishes technical standards for many materials, products, services, and industries, including additive manufacturing, decided to set up a center of excellence for the AM field. Thus, the organization’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) was born, to advance AM technical standards, education and training, and related research and development efforts. Recently, the AM CoE published its fourth annual report, which lists a variety of important accomplishments from 2021 and 2022.

“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. This report captures the many accomplishments of the AM CoE and the holistic approach to meeting this key objective,” Mohsen Seifi, PhD, ASTM International’s Vice President of Global Advanced Manufacturing Programs, stated in a press release.

The report includes updates on the organization’s industry partnerships, team expansion, workforce development, research to standards portfolio, and more. It also highlights the AM CoE’s acquisitions, including its important purchase of the global AM industry consulting and intelligence leader Wohlers Associates.

According to the report, “The acquisition supports ASTM’s growth vision and investment to expand its footprint in the AM industry with robust programs, services, and product offerings. They now include market intelligence and technical and strategic advisory services on the latest developments and trends in AM.”

The 2021-2022 annual report lists the organization’s other major accomplishments, including its new operator certification program; 12 fully funded R&D projects that fill standardization gaps; the AM CoE’s leadership in three America Makes projects with a combined effort over $1 million; the launch of its Consortium on Materials and Data Standardization (CMDS); and the successful ASTM International Conference on Additive Manufacturing event—ICAM 2021—that offered more than 475 technical talks and welcomed over 850 attendees from 30+ countries, including yours truly, to Anaheim.

Also included in the report are updates regarding some important projects and activities, including the area of research and development: 2 new R&D team members were welcomed, 107 project call ideas were submitted, 8 new standards were impacted, and 2 new standards were approved. The report also provides updates on its education and workforce development, standardizations and certifications, and the European Union consortium, which, according to the report, “leverages the current MTC membership (100+) and engages industrialists committed to funding standards-focused research. It exploits the output from Core Research Projects (CRP) and member-funded projects.”

Additional features in the AM CoE annual report include updates on communications, events, and funding, an overview of Wohlers Associates activities, and a look at the center’s leadership team.

At the same time the AM CoE released its annual report, it also launched an activities hub in the form of a more interactive website. Now, visitors can much more easily learn all about the center’s available products and services, R&D activities, educational opportunities, important industry partnerships, events, programs, and webinars, and more.