ASTM Worldwide’s Additive Manufacturing Heart of Excellence (AM CoE) has launched a brand new producer certification program to enhance the additive manufacturing provide chain.
Introduced forward of ASTM’s position as Data Accomplice and Platinum Sponsor of TCT 3Sixty, this system will look to reinforce high quality assurance, regulatory compliance and course of management.
Within the growth of this program, ASTM has aligned with greater than 25 finish customers. The likes of Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Safran, Ford Motor Firm, Stryker and Basic Motors are all contributing to the AM CoE’s Additive Manufacturing Certification Committee (AMCC) as they search to validate AM-specific actions that basic high quality administration system (QMS) requirements don’t. ASTM and its collaborators acknowledge that QMS requirements like ISO-9001 and AS9100 have proved important to assuring manufacturing high quality, however consider requirements which are higher tuned to particular wants of additive manufacturing are wanted.
Constructing on historic requirements, the brand new additive manufacturing certification program is working to certify processes, supplies and dangers which are thought of distinctive to additive manufacturing operations. They’ll outline shared expectations for producer high quality in additive manufacturing and create a certification framework that’s ‘technically rigorous and sensible.’ To make sure relevance throughout all sectors, the audit standards is tailor-made with OEM-specific necessities and constructed on high of internationally recognised requirements, with ASTM itemizing ISO/ASTM 52901, ISO/ASTM 52904, and ISO/ASTM 52920 in a press launch.
Via this new certification providing, ASTM Worldwide and the AMCC are hoping to avoid wasting producers money and time by lowering ‘redundant audits’, facilitating compliance by enhancing transparency between OEMs and suppliers, and accelerating time-to-market.
“By aligning end-user necessities and offering third-party assurance, this initiative helps unlock the complete potential of AM in high-performance purposes,” mentioned Dr Martin White, Director of Technical Operations for ASTM Worldwide. “This program closes a important hole in qualifying producers that want to satisfy business and regulatory calls for.”
Because the ASTM AM CoE has sought to validate the audit standards and certification method, it has carried out pilot audits with AM Craft, OECHSLER and KSB, with every engagement demonstrating this system’s adaptability throughout completely different applied sciences, supplies and working environments.
“This was a very optimistic and beneficial alternative for us,” mentioned Stephen Braun, Specialist Engineer Additive Manufacturing at KSB. “We found areas for enchancment to remain forward and stay best-in-class. I’d even dare to name this audit an pleasant expertise.”
“The audit was thorough, but additionally collaborative and insightful,” added 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 will enhance additional.”
The AM certification program joins the household of ASTM AM CoE certification applications that embrace AMQ (ISO/ASTM 52920), for additively manufactured elements (ISO/ASTM 52901) and steel 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), amongst others.
ASTM Worldwide might be exhibiting at TCT 3Sixty this week from Sales space D40. It is going to even have a presence on the TCT UK AM Consumer Group on June 3 and the TCT Awards ceremony on June 4.
