Research

ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence launches second R&D funding round

Global standards developer ASTM International has announced a “Request For Ideas (RFI)” from its ASTM F42 members who are in need of short-term R&D funding through its Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE).

ASTM F42 the leading committee at forefront of additive manufacturing standards. Those involved in this group are experienced in determining the manpower and resources needed for a particular effort. Therefore, ASTM F42 members have been called to propose top-priority R&D gaps critical to their work in varying industries, to be filled by AM CoE partners.

“Our goal is to couple R&D with standards development, allowing us to more quickly put standards in the hands of people who are experiencing technical gaps,” said Dr. Mohsen Seifi, ASTM International’s director of global additive manufacturing programs.

“In turn, that will help reduce the time new products and technologies come to market while also broadening the adoption of additive manufacturing overall.”

Additive manufacturing at AMCOE. Photo via ASTM International/AMCoE.
Additive manufacturing at AMCOE. Photo via ASTM International/AMCoE.

Driving additive manufacturing standards

Last year, ASTM International announced its first round of funding to help support the development of standards for the additive manufacturing industry. Now, with the current RFI, the ASTM F42 committee, which includes over 700 experts globally who create and revise standards, will be provided with a chance to drive their research.

A subgroup of experts, known as F42.09.05, representing different sectors and organization types within the ASTM F42 committee will evaluate the submitted ideas. Those that are successful will be assigned to AM CoE’s partners who will collaborate with stakeholders to develop specific research plans over three-to-four months.

The following technical topics will be prioritized by the AM CoE: powder feedstock (e.g., spreadability, flowability, and reuse), design allowables, process qualification, post-processing (e.g., powder removal and surface finish), coupons-parts correlation, fatigue and fracture properties/influence factors (e.g., defects, anisotropy, and residual stress), and AM surface quality/characterization.

Further topics to be prioritized include, best practice for characterizing AM anomalies, AM part cleaning (e.g., contamination), AM data management (e.g., data pedigree), Static Properties, Design for AM (DfAM), Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods for AM parts, Standard machine output (i.e., build report), In-Process monitoring, and Computational modeling (e.g., data analytics).

Parts produced in the Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence. Photo via ASTM International
Parts produced in the Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence. Photo via ASTM International.

The Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence

In earlier 2018, ASTM International selected three partners to advance the current state of additive manufacturing. They included North American engineering and technology firm EWI, the UK’s Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), and an Auburn University-NASA collective. Together, the partner organizations established the AM CoE, which is now located at EWI and in Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering in Alabama.

Among, the partners ongoing research is a collaboration with Innovate UK, and the British Standards Institution (BSI) to develop technical standards for the additive manufacturing process, directed energy deposition (DED). Dr. Seifi added:

“As we approach the first anniversary of our Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence, we are more committed than ever to supporting companies, universities, governments, and other partners that want to work with us to drive AM-related innovation.” 

To become a member of the ASTM click here. Idea submissions must be received from ASTM F42 members by June 17 at 5 p.m the Request For Ideas. Final award decisions will be made based upon the statements of work, with projects launching at the F42 meeting Sept. 16-20 in Paris.

Furthermore, inquiries and questions must be received in writing by May 31 at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

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Features image shows additive manufacturing at AMCOE. Photo via ASTM International/AMCoE.