WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, PA—ASTM International’s committee on additive manufacturing technologies (F42) is developing a standard for mechanical testing of additive manufactured plastics (WK66029). The standard is a project of ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence, led by Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), launched last year to accelerate R&D, standardization, and innovation in additive manufacturing.
According to reports, the standard aims to incorporate what has been learned about mechanical testing modification, interpreting results, and validating test methods with respect to additive manufactured polymer parts. It is designed to specifically help machine operators, printer manufacturers, material suppliers, testing laboratories, technology adopters, type-certification holders, and certificate regulators.
Within WSU-NIAR, the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) is developing material property data and statistical analysis reports for additive-manufactured materials based on input from industry steering committees and government review boards. Using lessons learned through the first additive qualification program under the NCAMP process (ULTEM 9085), NIAR is conducting a round-robin study to better understand alternative methods and geometries that more appropriately characterize additively produced specimens. The study aims to drive consensus across multiple ASTM committees (F42 and D20) and offer universally acceptable guidance for the AM industry.
Partners like ASTM international member Chul Y. Park, an associate technical fellow at Boeing, notes that during Boeing’s internal efforts to develop additive manufacturing technology, his team found that approaches that had worked well for traditional materials and subtractive manufacturing methods may not be optimal for additive.