ASTM Worldwide’s Additive Manufacturing Heart of Excellence (AM CoE) has launched a brand new producer certification program designed to boost high quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and course of management throughout the additive manufacturing provide chain.
Whereas conventional high quality administration system (QMS) requirements (e.g., ISO-9001, AS9100, ISO-13485, IATF-16949) have been essential to business, they don’t seem to be designed to focus particularly on the wants of AM. Constructing upon these historic necessities, the AM CoE constructed a brand new producer certification program, developed by business leaders to certify the particular processes, supplies, and dangers distinctive to AM operations.
The Additive Manufacturing Certification Committee (AMCC) developed this program with greater than 25 finish customers, together with Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Safran, Ford Motor Firm, Stryker, Becton Dickinson, Normal Motors, and different main organizations. The ensuing AM certification program supplies the reassurance that prospects have to construct belief throughout their provide chains by validating AM-specific actions, instead of extra basic QMS packages.
The mission of the AM certification program is to outline shared expectations for producer high quality in AM and to create a certification framework that’s each technically rigorous and sensible. Tailor-made with OEM-specific necessities to make sure relevance throughout sectors, the audit standards are constructed on high of internationally acknowledged requirements, together with ISO/ASTM 52901, ISO/ASTM 52904, and ISO/ASTM 52920.
“By aligning end-user necessities and offering third-party assurance, this initiative helps unlock the total potential of AM in high-performance functions,” stated Dr. Martin White, Director of Technical Operations for ASTM Worldwide. “This program closes a essential hole in qualifying producers that want to satisfy business and regulatory calls for.”
To validate the audit standards and certification method, the AM CoE performed pilot audits at AM Craft, Oechsler, and KSB. Every engagement demonstrated this system’s adaptability throughout completely different applied sciences, supplies, and working environments.
“This was a very constructive and useful alternative for us,” stated Stephan Braun, Specialist Engineer Additive Manufacturing at KSB. “We found areas for enchancment to remain forward and stay greatest in school. I might even dare to name this audit an pleasing expertise.”
“The audit was thorough, but in addition collaborative and insightful,” stated Andreas Knoechel, Head of Program Administration at OECHSLER. “It gave us a transparent understanding of how our practices align with evolving expectations—and the place we are able to enhance additional.”
With this new certification providing, ASTM Worldwide and the AMCC purpose to assist producers save money and time by decreasing redundant audits, facilitating compliance by bettering transparency between OEMs and suppliers, and accelerating time-to-market with AM applied sciences that meet the best requirements of high quality and security.
The AM certification program joins the household of ASTM AM CoE certification packages that features AMQ (ISO/ASTM 52920) for additively manufactured components (ISO/ASTM 52901) and metallic PBF-LB processes (ISO/ASTM 52904), in addition to AM facility security certification (ISO/ASTM 52931), and quite a few personnel certifications (e.g., ISO/ASTM 52942, ISO/ASTM 52926).
