3D printing industry working to implement standards for products, processes

The three-dimensional (3D) printing industry is taking steps toward implementing standards that will “bring coherence and interoperability to 3D printing products and processes,” according to a report inDesign News.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has partnered with the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute to create a standards initiative. The two groups launched the Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collective (AMSC) to “facilitate the development of industry-wide additive manufacturing standards and specifications to promote the growth of the additive manufacturing industry.”

AMSC published a standardization roadmap for additive manufacturing, identifying existing standards and specifications and those under development, earlier this year. Industry standards can help users verify that the products will perform as they claim they will, an ANSI official said.

AMSC will coordinate and accelerate the development of standards, and make them consistent with the needs of both manufacturers and users. It will not actually develop the standards, though.