The term “additive manufacturing” always makes me think of the manufacture of additives (e.g., deflocculants or dispersants). Not so, of course.

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and ASTM International recently teamed up to standardize terminology involving additive manufacturing. “Rapid prototyping has meant different things to different manufacturers,” said Brent Stucker, Ph.D., a member of SME’s Rapid Technologies and Additive Manufacturing (RTAM) community and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Utah State University. “It means quick prototyping to one and layered manufacturing to another. Now it’s called additive manufacturing,”

ASTM formed Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing, which includes members of the RTAM community, to write the industry’s first standards. According to Stucker, who serves as chairman of the committee, the resulting Standard Terminology for Additive Manufacturing Technologies “will help clarify communications” in industries that require strict consistency, such as aerospace or medical manufacturing.

In the future, the committee will look to address standards for test methods, materials and processing, and it welcomes additional industry involvement. “We’re happy to draw expertise from anywhere in the world,” said Strucker.

Visit www.sme.org/rtam for more information about participating in RTAM. For additional information regarding Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing, contact Pat Picariello at ppicarie@astm.org or (610) 832-9720.

Another effort has been initiated by the Edison Welding Institute (EWI), which recently created the Additive Manufacturing Consortium (AMC). The AMC will establish a U.S. center of excellence that engages a national technology network to provide unbiased advice, development, performance testing and qualification of additive processes.

Brian Hayes, CI’s managing editor, attended the AMC’s Kick-Off Meeting, which was held this week in Columbus, Ohio. “Despite the wintry weather, turnout for the event was strong, with all in attendance eager to discuss advances in additive manufacturing across many industries,” he writes. Follow this link to read Brian’s full report.