Participation Invited for Working Groups; Input Sought on Standards and Specs

NEW YORK, April 12, 2016 — (PRNewswire) — On March 31st America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) held their kick-off meeting for the America Makes & ANSI Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC). The meeting drew close to 90 individuals either attending in person or participating remotely.

Formally launched last month, the AMSC is targeting to produce by the end of 2016 a standardization roadmap for additive manufacturing. The roadmap will identify existing standards and specifications, as well as those in development, assess gaps, and make recommendations for priority areas where there is a perceived need for additional standardization, including in relation to needs already identified in the America Makes Additive Manufacturing Technology Roadmap. Significantly, the group will not be developing standards; rather, the intent is that the roadmap will help facilitate a coordinated approach to the development of standards and specifications for additive manufacturing.

To develop the roadmap, the AMSC agreed to form four primary working groups covering design, process and materials, qualification and certification, and maintenance. The process and materials group will include four subgroups covering precursor materials, process control, post-processing, and finished materials properties. The working groups plan to hold online meetings every two weeks and will hold their first meetings later this month. Further details on the working groups and their co-chairs are available on the AMSC website. Subject matter experts interested in participating in one or more working groups may do so by completing and returning the sign-up sheet.

To assist in identifying existing standards and standards in development, the AMSC has developed a spreadsheet listing relevant work. Organizations that have developed standards or specifications related to additive manufacturing are invited to notify the AMSC of such activity by email at Email Contact.

Ed Morris, vice president and director, America Makes, National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, said, "We are thrilled to be working with ANSI. We need to re-energize the manufacturing economy in the United States and we hope to do that by accelerating the adoption of additive manufacturing technologies."

Fran Schrotter, ANSI senior vice president & COO, said, "We are very pleased to be working with America Makes which has already done much of the work needed to make this a successful undertaking. It is a great marriage of two organizations that can truly make a difference in this space."

About America Makes
America Makes is the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. As the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing (3DP), America Makes is the nation's leading and collaborative partner in AM and 3DP technology research, discovery, creation, and innovation. Structured as a public-private partnership with member organizations from industry, academia, government, non-government agencies, and workforce and economic development resources, we are working together to innovate and accelerate AM and 3DP to increase our nation's global manufacturing competitiveness. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makes is the first institute for up to 45 manufacturing innovation institutes to follow and is driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM). For more information about America Makes, visit http://americamakes.us.

About NCDMM
The NCDMM delivers optimized manufacturing solutions that enhance the quality, affordability, maintainability, and rapid deployment of existing and yet-to-be developed defense systems. This is accomplished through collaboration with government, industry, and academic organizations to promote the implementation of best practices to key stakeholders through the development and delivery of disciplined training, advanced technologies, and methodologies. For additional information, visit the NCDMM at ncdmm.org.

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide. The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information, visit www.ansi.org.