ASTM Explores Additive Manufacturing Structural Integrity

4th ASTM Symposium on Structural Integrity of Additive Manufactured Materials and Parts

This month ASTM is holding a workshop in Europe to discuss recent developments in 3D printing standards. Now they are preparing a multi-day symposium on a different topic.

ASTM’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (CoE) is, I believe, a critically important resource to the additive manufacturing community. That organization produces many of the world’s industrial standards, and recently they’ve been developing appropriate standards for our domain.

Standards are important because they allow confidence at each level of a manufacturing process, and as we all know, manufacturing is all about consistency.

The upcoming event, entitled “4th ASTM Symposium on Structural Integrity of Additive Manufactured Materials and Parts”, is focused on structural integrity. They explain:

“Focus for this fourth symposium is squarely on addressing the structural integrity of parts made via additive manufacturing (AM) processes. There remains a need to establish feedstock-process-structure-property-performance relationships in ensuring structural integrity of such parts, particularly where these components and structures are being used in safety-critical applications.”

I think their phrasing of the “feedstock-process-structure-property-performance” (emphasis above ours) relationship represents what a lot of the industry is puzzled with in recent years. How can process A obtain X performance and property Z for structure B with feedstock Q? That is literally the eternal question when 3D printing anything.

They hope to gain insight on this question by engaging participants in a deep discussion of the matter. They explain:

”This event offers an informed forum for the exchange of ideas regarding the structural integrity of parts fabricated using additive manufacturing with a focus on design principles, the lack of industry standards, and challenges regarding qualification and certification. The materials of interest include metals, polymers, composites, and ceramics. This event is designed for professionals within the AM community including industry, academia and government agencies.”

Further, the event, which takes place over 3.5 days, includes nearly 130 separate talks on these and related issues. Topics include:

• Feedstock and materials related effects

• Effect of influencing factors (surface, geometry, post-processing, etc.)

• Process optimization to improve performance

• Microstructure-property predictive models

• Multiscale modeling of mechanical behavior

• Fatigue, fracture, strength, wear, corrosion, creep of fabricated materials

• Effect of manufacturing anomalies on fatigue and damage tolerance

• Characterization of manufacturing anomalies, detection capabilities and acceptance criteria

• Nondestructive testing and inspection issues

• Applicability of existing test methods

• Development of new test methods

• Special requirements for sector specific standards

• Qualification and certification challenges

The event is to be held 7-10 October just south of Washington, DC. Registration fees range from US$200-800, depending on your membership status. Note that registration closes on 2 Oct, so you have only a couple of weeks to decide on attending.

If your business depends on the structural integrity of 3D prints, then you might consider attending this important event.

Via ASTM