Representatives from industry, academia, and government agencies attended the event which focused on the need to establish feedstock-process-structure-property-performance relationships in additively manufactured parts.

On Oct. 7-10, over 300 experts and leaders from more than 20 countries attended ASTM International's 4th Symposium on Structural Integrity of Additive Manufactured Materials and Parts in the Washington, D.C., area. The event was supported by the ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence and other organizations.

Representatives from industry, academia, and government agencies attended the event which focused on the need to establish feedstock-process-structure-property-performance relationships in additively manufactured parts. Topics included the need for industry standards, the importance of design principles, and challenges related to standardization, qualification, and certification.

"The interest in additive manufacturing standardization and related areas were emphasized strongly at the symposium," said Dr. Mohsen Seifi, ASTM International's director of global additive manufacturing programs and symposium co-chair. "The program was robust, with 130 presenters talking about the most recent advancements in the field as well as challenges we need to overcome in the next five years."

ASTM International launched new awards as part of the symposium, including the ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Award of Excellence in Research, presented to professor Stefano Beretta of Polytechnic of Milan, and the ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Award of Excellence in Standardization, presented to Dr. Charles Park, of Boeing.

"We are pleased to introduce these new awards and honor trailblazers in this fast-growing field," said Daniel Smith, ASTM International's vice president of technical committee operations, who presented the two awards.

In addition, 25 students participated in a student paper competition. Two tied for first place: Yu-Chung Chang of Washington State University (3D Printable Coffee/PLA Polymer Composite with Enhanced Impact Toughness), and Jonathan Pegues of Auburn University (Additive Manufacturing of Fatigue Resistant Materials: Avoiding the Early Life Crack Initiation). Second place went to Cambre Kelly of Duke University while a third-place tie went to Dalia Mahmoud of McCaster University and Zoe Jardon of Vrije University Brussels.

"We intend to build on this momentum in everything we do, including research projects underway, standardization efforts, and next year's conference which will have an expanded scope," said symposium co-chair, professor Nima Shamsaei, director of Auburn University's National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence, a partner in ASTM International's center of excellence.

According to the co-chairs, the strong, positive feedback from the symposium will result in an expansion of the event next year to be named the "International Conference of Additive Manufacturing," with a wider purview surrounding standardization, qualification, and certification. ASTM International committees, stakeholders, partners, and experts from around the world will be invited. Organizers plan to include additional pillars of industry 4.0, in the conference agenda.

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