Standardization in additive manufacturing: activities carried out by international organizations and projects

Abstract

Standards have to satisfy the needs of the different groups represented, such as industrial, trade, and consumer groups of all of the countries involved. Most experts agree that the lack of additive manufacturing (AM) standards is a key point to take into account in the barriers to broad adoption of AM. Although over the past two decades several entities and groups of experts have demanded the development of specific standards for additive manufacturing, the most important steps forward have been taken in the last few years, mainly through the actions of international organizations such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), with the support of technical groups and projects focused on the standardization of AM. This work, which is successfully providing new standards for AM, is expected to be reinforced by a global agreement between ASTM and ISO with the aim of collaboration on common AM standards. This paper presents a summary and review of actions carried out so far by different organizations and projects, based on the work of several road maps and workshops, with the aim of developing new standards in this particular field.