ISO/ASTM 52900:2015(E)

Standard Terminology for

Additive Manufacturing – General Principles –
Terminology1,2
This standard is issued under the fixed designation ISO/ASTM 52900; the number immediately following the designation indicates the
year of original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision.

1. Scope 3. Terminology
1.1 This International Standard establishes and defines 3.1 General Terms
terms used in additive manufacturing (AM) technology, which 3D printer, n—machine used for 3D printing.
applies the additive shaping principle and thereby builds
physical 3D geometries by successive addition of material. additive manufacturing (AM), n—process of joining materi-
als to make parts from 3D model data, usually layer upon
1.2 The terms have been classified into specific fields of layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing and formative
application. manufacturing methodologies.
1.3 New terms emerging from the future work within D ISCUSSION —Historical terms: additive fabrication, additive
ISO/TC 261 and ASTM F42 will be included in upcoming processes, additive techniques, additive layer manufacturing, layer
amendments and overviews of this International Standard. manufacturing, solid freeform fabrication and freeform fabrication.
DISCUSSION—The meaning of “additive”, “subtractive” and “forma-
2. Referenced Documents tive” manufacturing methodologies are further discussed in Annex A1.
2.1 ISO Standards:3 additive system, n—additive manufacturing system, addi-
ISO 841 Industrial automation systems and integration— tive manufacturing equipment, machine and auxiliary equip-
Numerical control of machines—Coordinate system and ment used for additive manufacturing.
motion nomenclature
ISO 10303 Industrial automation systems and integration— AM machine, n—section of the additive manufacturing
Product data representation and exchange system including hardward, machine control software, re-
ISO 17296-2 Additive manufacturing—General quired set-up software and peripheral accessories necessary
priniciples—Part 2: Overview of process categories and to complete a build cycle for producing parts.
feedstock AM machine user, n—operator of or entity using an AM
2.2 ISO/ASTM Standards:3,4 machine.
ISO/ASTM 52915 Standard specification for additive manu-
facturing file format (AMF) AM system user, n—additive system user, operator of or entity
ISO/ASTM 52921 Terminology for Additive using an entire additive manufacturing system or any
Manufacturing—Coordinate Systems and Test Method- component of an additive system.
ologies front, n—of a machine, unless otherwise designated by the
machine builder, side of the machine that the operator faces
to access the user interface or primary viewing window, or
1
This international standard is under the jurisdiction of Committee F42 on both.
Additive Manufacturing Technologies and is the direct responsibility of Subcom-
mittee F42.91 on Terminology, and is also under the jurisdiction of ISO/TC 261. material supplier, n—provider of material/feedstock to be
Current edition approved Dec. 1, 2015. Published January 2016. Originally processed in additive manufacturing system.
approved in 2009. Last previous edition approved in 2012 as F2792–12A.
2
Through a mutual agreement with ASTM International (ASTM), the Society of multi-step process, n—type of additive manufacturing pro-
Manufacturing Engineers (SME) contributed the technical expertise of its RTAM
Community members to ASTM to be used as the technical foundation for this
cess in which parts are fabricated in two or more operations
ASTM standard. SME and its membership continue to play an active role in where the first typically provides the basic geometric shape
providing technical guidance to the ASTM standards development process. and the following consolidates the part to the fundamental
3
Available from American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 W. 43rd St., properties of the intended material (metallic, ceramic, poly-
4th Floor, New York, NY 10036, http://www.ansi.org.
4
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
mer or composite).
contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM DISCUSSION—Removal of the support structure and cleaning may be
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on necessary; however, in this context not considered as a separate process
the ASTM website. step.

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ISO/ASTM 52900:2015(E)

DISCUSSION—The principle of single-step and multi-step processes build platform, n—of a machine, base which provides a
are further discussed in Annex A1. surface upon which the building of the part/s is started and
single-step process, n—type of additive manufacturing pro- supported throughout the build process.
DISCUSSION—In some systems the parts are built attached to the build
cess in which parts are fabricated in a single operation
platform, either directly or through a support structure. In other
where the basic geometric shape and basic material proper- systems, such as powder bed systems, no direct mechanical fixture
ties of the intended product are achieved simultaneously. between the build and the platform may be required.
DISCUSSION—Removal of the support structure and cleaning may be
necessary; however, in this context not considered as a separate process build space, n—location where it is possible for parts to be
step. fabricated, typically within the build chamber or on a build
platform.
DISCUSSION—The principle of single-step and multi-step processes
are further discussed in Annex A1. build surface, n—area where material is added, normally on
3.2 Process Categories the last deposited layer which becomes the foundation upon
binder jetting, n—additive manufacturing process in which which the next layer is formed.
a liquid bonding agent is selectively deposited to join DISCUSSION—For the first layer, the build surface is often the build
powder materials. platform.
DISCUSSION—In the case of directed energy deposition processes,
directed energy deposition, n—additive manufacturing pro-
the build surface can be an existing part onto which material is added.
cess in which focused thermal energy is used to fuse
materials by melting as they are being deposited. DISCUSSION—If the orientation of the material deposition or consoli-
DISCUSSION—"Focused thermal energy" means that an energy source dation means, or both, is variable, it may be defined relative to the build
(e.g., laser, electron beam, or plasma arc) is focused to melt the surface.
materials being deposited.
build volume, n—total usable volume available in the machine
material extrusion, n—additive manufacturing process in for building parts.
which material is selectively dispensed through a nozzle or
feed region, n—in powder bed fusion, location/s in the
orifice.
machine where feedstock is stored and from which a portion
material jetting, n—additive manufacturing process in of the feedstock is repeatedly conveyed to the powder bed
which droplets of build material are selectively deposited. during the build cycle.
DISCUSSION—Example materials include photopolymer and wax.
layer, n—matter material laid out, or spread, to create a
powder bed fusion, n—additive manufacturing process in surface.
which thermal energy selectively fuses regions of a powder
machine coordinate system, n—three-dimensional coordinate
bed.
system as defined by a fixed point on the build platform
sheet lamination, n—additive manufacturing process in with the three principal axes labelled x-, y-, and z-, with
which sheets of material are bonded to form a part. rotary axis about each of these axis labelled A, B, and C,
respectively, where the angles between x-, y- and z- can be
vat photopolymerization, n—additive manufacturing pro- Cartesian or defined by the machine manufacturer.
cess in which liquid photopolymer in a vat is selectively
cured by light-activated polymerization. DISCUSSION—Machine coordinate system is fixed relative to the
machine, as opposed to coordinate systems associated with the build
3.3 Processing: General surface which can be translated or rotated. Machine coordinate system
3D printing, n—fabrication of objects through the deposition is illustrated in ISO/ASTM 52921.
of a material using a print head, nozzle, or another printer
manufacturing lot, n—set of manufactured parts having
technology.
commonality between feedstock, production run, additive
DISCUSSION—Term often used in a non-technical context synony-
mously with additive manufacturing; until present times this term has
manufacturing system, and post-processing steps (if re-
in particular been associated with machines that are low end in price quired) as recorded on a single manufacturing work order.
and/or overall capability.
DISCUSSION—Additive manufacturing system could include one or
build chamber, n—enclosed location within the additive several AM machines and/or post-processing machine units, as agreed
by AM provider and customer.
manufacturing system where the parts are fabricated.
origin, n—zero point, (0, 0, 0), when using x-, y-, and
build cycle, n—single process cycle in which one or more
z-coordinates, designated universal reference point at which
components are built up in layers in the process chamber of
the three primary axes in a coordinate system intersect.
the additive manufacturing system.
DISCUSSION—Coordinate system can be Cartesian or as defined by the
build envelope, n—largest external dimensions of the x-, y-, machine manufacturer. The concept of origin is illustrated in ISO/
ASTM 52921.
and z-axes within the build space where parts can be
fabricated. build origin, n—origin most commonly located at the centre
DISCUSSION—The dimensions of the build space will be larger than of the build platform and fixed on the build facing surface, but
the build envelope. could be defined otherwise by the build set-up.

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machine origin, n—machine home, machine zero point, the z-axis may be identified according to the principles in ISO 841,
origin as defined by the machine manufacturer. (4.3.3) which addresses “swivelling or gimballing.”
3.4 Processing: Data
overflow region, n—in powder bed fusion systems, location/s
3D scanning, n—3D digitizing, method of acquiring the shape
in the machine where excess powder is stored during a build
and size of an object as a 3-dimensional representation by
cycle.
DISCUSSION—For certain machine types the overflow region may
recording x,y,z coordinates on the object’s surface and
consist of one or more dedicated chambers or a powder recycling through software the collection of points is converted into
system. digital data.
DISCUSSION—Typical methods use some amount of automation,
part location, n—location of the part within the build coupled with a touch probe, optical sensor, or other device.
volume.
DISCUSSION—The part location is normally specified by the x-, y- and Additive Manufacturing File Format (AMF), n—file format
z-coordinates for the position of the geometric centre of the part’s for communicating additive manufacturing model data
bounding box with respect to the build volume, origin. Part location including a description of the 3D surface geometry with
is illustrated in ISO/ASTM 52921 native support for colour, materials, lattices, textures, con-
stellations and metadata.
process parameters, n—set of operating parameters and
DISCUSSION—Additive Manufacturing File Format (AMF) can repre-
system settings used during a single build cycle. sent one of multiple objects arranged in a constellation. Similar to STL
the surface geometry is represented by a triangular mesh, but in AMF
production run, n—all parts produced in one build cycle or
the triangles may also be curved. AMF can also specify the material
sequential series of build cycles using the same feedstock and colour of each volume and the colour of each triangle in the mesh.
batch and process conditions. ISO/ASTM 52915 gives the standard specification of AMF.
system set-up, n—configuration of the additive manufactur- bounding box, n—of a part, orthogonally oriented minimum
ing system for a build. perimeter cuboid that can span the maximum extents of the
x-axis, n—of a machine, unless otherwise designated by the points on the surface of a 3D part.
DISCUSSION—Where the manufactured part includes the test geometry
machine builder, axis in the machine coordinate system plus additional external features (for example, labels, tabs or raised
that runs parallel to the front of the machine and perpen- lettering), the bounding box may be specified according to the test part
dicular to the y-axis and z-axis. geometry excluding the additional external features if noted. Different
DISCUSSION—Unless otherwise designated by the machine builder, varieties of bounding boxes are illustrated in ISO/ASTM 52921.
the positive x-direction runs from left to right as viewed from the front
arbitrarily oriented bounding box, n—of a part, bounding
of the machine while facing toward the build volume origin.
box calculated without any constraints on the resulting orien-
DISCUSSION—It is common that the x-axis is horizontal and parallel tation of the box.
with one of the edges of the build platform.
machine bounding box, n—of a part, bounding box for
y-axis, n—of a machine, unless otherwise designated by the which the surfaces are parallel to the machine coordinate
machine builder, axis in the machine coordinate system system.
that runs perpendicular to the z-axis and x-axis. master bounding box, n—bounding box which encloses all
DISCUSSION—Unless otherwise designated by the machine builder, of the parts in a single build.
the positive direction is defined in ISO 841 to make a right hand set of
coordinates. In the most common case of an upwards z-positive extensible markup language, XML, n—standard from the
direction, the positive y-direction will then run from the front to the WorldWideWeb Consortium (W3C) that provides for tag-
back of the machine as viewed from the front of the machine.
ging of information content within documents offering a
DISCUSSION—In the case of building in the downwards z-positive means for representation of content in a format that is both
direction, the positive y-direction will then run from the back of the human and machine readable.
machine to the front as viewed from the front of the machine. DISCUSSION—Through the use of customizable style sheets and
schemas, information can be represented in a uniform way, allowing for
DISCUSSION—It is common that the y-axis is horizontal and parallel
interchange of both content (data) and format (metadata).
with one of the edges of the build platform.
facet, n—typically a three- or four-sided polygon that repre-
z-axis, n—of a machine; unless otherwise designated by the
sents an element of a 3D polygonal mesh surface or model.
machine builder, axis in the machine coordinate system
DISCUSSION—Triangular facets are used in the file formats most
that run perpendicular to the x-axis and y-axis. significant to AM: AMF and STL; however, AMF files permits a
DISCUSSION—Unless otherwise designated by the machine builder, triangular facet to be curved.
the positive direction is defined in ISO 841 to make a right hand set of
coordinates. For processes employing planar, layerwise addition of geometric centre, n—centroid, of a bounding box, location at
material, the positive z-direction will then run normal to the layers. the arithmetic middle of the bounding box of the part.
DISCUSSION—For processes employing planar layerwise addition of DISCUSSION—The centre of the bounding box could lie outside the
material, the positive z-direction, is the direction from the first layer to part.
the subsequent layers. IGES, n—Initial Graphics Exchange Specification, platform
DISCUSSION—Where addition of material is possible from multiple neutral CAD data exchange format intended for exchange of
directions (such as with certain directed energy deposition systems), product geometry and geometry annotation information.

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ISO/ASTM 52900:2015(E)

DISCUSSION—IGES is the common name for a United States National lasers to selectively fuse or melt the particles at the surface,
Bureau of Standards standard NBSIR 80-1978, Digital Representation layer upon layer, in an enclosed chamber.
for Communication of Product Definition Data, which was approved by DISCUSSION—Most LS machines partially or fully melt the materials
ANSI first as ANS Y14.26M-1981 and later as ANS USPRO/IPO-100- they process. The word “sintering” is a historical term and a misnomer,
1996. IGES version 5.3 was superseded by ISO 10303, STEP in 2006. as the process typically involves full or partial melting, as opposed to
traditional powdered metal sintering using a mould and heat and/or
initial build orientation, n—of a part, orientation of the part
pressure.
as it is first placed in the build volume.
DISCUSSION—Initial build orientation is illustrated in ISO/ASTM part cake, n—in a powder bed fusion process that uses a
52921. heated build chamber, lightly bound powder surrounding
nesting—situation when parts are made in one build cycle the fabricated parts at the end of a build cycle.
and are located such that their bounding boxes, arbitrarily post-processing, n—one or more, process steps taken after the
oriented or otherwise, will overlap. completion of an additive manufacturing build cycle in
PDES, n—Product Data Exchange Specification or Product order to achieve the desired properties in the final product.
Data Exchange using STEP. powder batch, n—powder used as feedstock which could be
DISCUSSION—Originally, a product data exchange specification devel- used powder, virgin powder or a blend of the two.
oped in the 1980s by the IGES/PDES Organization, a program of US
Product Data Association (USPRO). It was adopted as the basis for and DISCUSSION—A powder batch could be used in one or more produc-
subsequently superseded by ISO 10303 STEP. tion runs using different process parameters.

part reorientation, n—rotation around the geometric centre powder bed, n—part bed, build area in an additive manufac-
of the part’s bounding box from the specified initial build turing system in which feedstock is deposited and selec-
orientation of that part. tively fused by means of a heat source or bonded by means
DISCUSSION—Part reorientation is illustrated in ISO/ASTM 52921. of an adhesive to build up parts.
STEP, n—standard for the exchange of product model data. powder blend, n—quantity of powder made by thoroughly
DISCUSSION—ISO standard that provides a representation of product intermingling powders originating from one or several
information, along with the necessary mechanisms and definitions to powder lots of the same nominal composition.
enable product data to be exchanged. ISO 10303 applies to the
representation of product information, including components and DISCUSSION—A common type of powder blend consists of a combi-
assemblies; the exchange of product data, including storing, nation of virgin powder and used powder. The specific requirements
transferring, accessing and archiving. for a powder blend are typically determined by the application, or by
agreement between the supplier and end-user.
STL, n—file format for model data describing the surface
geometry of an object as a tessellation of triangles used to DISCUSSION—In traditional powder metallurgy, a distinction is made
between blended powders and mixed powders, in which case blended
communicate 3D geometries to machines in order to build powders are combinations of powders with nominally identical
physical parts. composition, whereas mixed powders are combinations of powders
with different compositions.
DISCUSSION—The STL file format was originally developed as part of
the CAD package for the early STereoLithography Apparatus, thus powder lot, n—quantity of powder produced under traceable,
referring to that process. It is sometimes also described as “Standard
controlled conditions, from a single powder manufacturing
Triangulation Language” or “Standard Tesselation Language”, though
it has never been recognized as an official standard by any standard- process cycle.
ization organization. DISCUSSION—The size of a powder lot is defined by the powder
supplier. It is common that the powder supplier distributes a portion of
surface model, n—mathematical or digital representation of an a powder lot to multiple AM system users.
object as a set of planar or curved surfaces, or both, that can, DISCUSSION—Source documentation of the powder lot is normally
but does not necessarily have to, represent a closed volume. required for most AM product applications. Source documentation is
3.5 Processing: Material also referred to as a “certificate of conformance”, “factory certificate”
or “certificate of analysis”.
curing, v—chemical process which results in the ultimate
properties of a finish or other material. used powder, n—powder that has been supplied as feedstock
to an AM machine during at least one previous build cycle.
feedstock, n—(Deprecated: source material, starting material,
base material, original material) bulk raw material supplied virgin powder, n—unused powder from a single powder lot.
to the additive manufacturing building process.
3.6 Applications
DISCUSSION—For additive manufacturing building processes, the bulk
raw material is typically supplied in various forms such as liquid, part, n—joined material forming a functional element that
powder, suspensions, filaments, sheets etc. could constitute all or a section of an intended product.
DISCUSSION—The functional requirements for a part are typically
fusion, n—act of uniting two or more units of material into a determined by the intended application.
single unit of material.
prototype, n—physical representation of all or a component of
laser sintering, LS, n—powder bed fusion process used to a product that, although limited in some way, can be used for
produce objects from powdered materials using one or more analysis, design and evaluation.

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DISCUSSION—Requirements for parts used as prototypes depend on 3.7 Properties

the individual needs for analysis and evaluation and will therefore accuracy, n—closeness of agreement between an individual
typically be determined in agreement between supplier and end-user.
result and an accepted reference value.
prototype tooling, n—moulds, dies, and other devices used for
as built, adj—refers to the state of parts made by an additive
prototyping purposes; sometimes referred to as bridge tool-
process before any post processing, besides, if necessary, the
ing or soft tooling.
removal from a build platform as well as the removal of
DISCUSSION—This type of tooling can sometimes be used to trial the
tool design and/or to produce end-use parts while production tooling is support and/or unprocessed feedstock.
being manufactured. On these occasions, the tooling is typically fully dense, adj—state in which the material of the fabricated
referred to as bridge tooling.
part is without significant content of voids.
rapid prototyping, n—in additive manufacturing, application
DISCUSSION—In practice, material completely free of voids is difficult
of additive manufacturing intended for reducing the time to produce by any manufacturing process and some micro-porosity will
needed for producing prototypes. generally be present.
DISCUSSION—Historically, rapid prototyping (RP) was the first com-
mercially significant application for additive manufacturing, and have DISCUSSION—The significance and the permissible content of voids
therefore been commonly used as a general term for this type of are typically determined based on the requirements for the application
technology. of the final product.

rapid tooling, n—in additive manufacturing, application of near net shape, adj—condition where the components require
additive manufacturing intended for the production of little post processing to meet dimensional tolerance.
tools or tooling components with reduced lead times as
porosity, n—property, presence of small voids in a part
compared to conventional tooling manufacturing.
making it less than fully dense.
DISCUSSION—Rapid tooling may be produced directly by the additive
DISCUSSION—Porosity may be quantified as a ratio, expressed as a
manufacturing process or indirectly by producing patterns that are in
percentage of the volume of voids to the total volume of the part.
turn used in a secondary process to produce the actual tools.
DISCUSSION—Besides additive manufacturing, the term “rapid tool- repeatability, n—degree of alignment of two or more mea-
ing” may also apply to the production of tools with reduced lead times surements of the same property using the same equipment
by subtractive manufacturing methods, such as CNC milling, etc. and in the same environment.

ANNEX

(informative)

A1. BASIC PRINCIPLES

A1.1 Additive shaping of materials different parts in a physical, chemical or mechanical operation,
A1.1.1 The functionality of a manufactured object is de- such as welding, soldering, adhesive, fasteners, etc.
rived from the combination of the object’s geometry and A1.1.3 Additive manufacturing technology applies the ad-
properties. In order to achieve this combination, a manufactur- ditive shaping principle and thereby builds physical 3D geom-
ing process is made up of a series of operations and sub- etries by successive addition of material.
processes that brings the shape of the intended geometry to a A1.1.4 “Addition of material” means that units of material
material capable of possessing the desired properties. The feedstock are brought together and joined (e.g., fused or
shaping of materials into objects within a manufacturing bonded), most commonly layer by layer to build a part. The
process can be achieved by one, or combinations of three basic determining factor for each process is in the technique used for
principles: adding the materials. This determines, for example, what types
A1.1.1.1 Formative Shaping—The desired shape is acquired of materials are possible in the process, since different mate-
by application of pressure to a body of raw material, examples: rials have different principles of fusion or adhesion. Basically,
forging, bending, casting, injection moulding, the compaction for additive manufacturing processing, the products’ funda-
of green bodies in conventional powder metallurgy or ceramic mental properties are determined by:
processing etc. (a) type of material (polymer, metal, ceramic or
A1.1.1.2 Subtractive Shaping—The desired shape is ac- composite),
quired by selective removal of material, examples: milling, (b) principle applied for fusion or bonding (melting,
turning, drilling, EDM etc. curing, sintering etc.),
A1.1.1.3 Additive Shaping—The desired shape is acquired (c) feedstock that is used for adding material (liquid,
by successive addition of material. powder, suspension, filament, sheet etc.), and
A1.1.2 The objects, or parts, with the acquired shapes can (d) how the material is brought together, i.e., machine
be combined into more complex shaped products by joining architecture.

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ISO/ASTM 52900:2015(E)

A1.1.5 The process of successively adding material to build ceramic properties for an intended ceramic part) in a secondary
a part makes the properties of the material in this part highly process step, i.e. a multi-step process, see Fig. A1.1. For
dependent on the machine type and the process parameters in example, the object acquires the basic geometry by joining
the additive operation. Therefore it is not possible to accurately material with a binder in the primary process step which is
predict these material properties without coupling them to a followed by material consolidation by sintering, with or
specific type of machine and process parameters. without infiltration, in subsequent process steps. Depending on
A1.1.6 A layered approach to the additive building of parts the final application, both single-step, and multi-step may
may also cause directional dependence in the material proper- require one or more additional post-processing operations,
ties of that part. Therefore, material properties in an AM part (such as heat treatments (including HIP), finishing machining,
may be dependent on that part’s orientation and position in the and others, see further ISO 17296-2) to obtain all the intended
build space during processing. properties in the final product.
A1.2.3 AM technology can be used to produce tools moulds
A1.2 Single-step and multi-step additive manufacturing
and casting patterns which may be applied to produce the
processes
intended objects. In this scenario, however, it is the casting
A1.2.1 It is rare that a finished product can be entirely patterns, mould or tools that is produced by the AM process,
manufactured within a single process principle. Normally, a not the intended product, and therefore such manufacturing
series of operations and sub-processes are required to achieve processes should rather be considered as an application of AM
the intended combination of geometrical shape and desired technology than an AM production process.
properties. However, in the context of AM there is a distinction
between which operations are indispensable parts of the A1.3 Additive manufacturing processing principles
additive process and which are more product and application A1.3.1 General—There are numerous ways in which units
dependent pre-processing, and post-processing operations. of material can be joined together to form a part. Different
When additive manufacturing is applied within an industrial types of materials are being held together by different types of
manufacturing system, this distinction is needed to clarify what atomic bonds: metallic materials are typically held together by
part of the entire manufacturing process constitutes the actual metallic bonds, polymer molecules typically by covalent
additive manufacturing process, as well as, what part of the bonds, ceramic materials typically by ionic-, and/or covalent
entire manufacturing system constitutes the actual additive bonds, and composite materials by any combination of the
manufacturing system, so that standards can be appropriately above mentioned. The type of bonding provides the most
applied. fundamental conditions for how that type of material can be
A1.2.2 The fundamental principle of AM processes is form- joined in an additive process. Besides the type of material, the
ing three dimensional parts by the successive addition of joining operation is also dependent on in which shape the
material. Depending on process, the parts may acquire the material is delivered to the system, and how it is distributed.
basic geometry and fundamental properties of the intended For additive manufacturing processes, the feedstock, the bulk
material in a single process step, i.e., a single-step process, or raw material that is fed into the process, can typically come in
acquire the geometry in a primary process step and then the form of powder (dry, paste or slurry), filament, sheet,
acquire the fundamental properties of the intended material (for melted, and for polymers also in the shape of un-cured liquid
example: metallic properties for an intended metallic part and material. Dependent on the shape, the feedstock may then be

FIG. A1.1 Single-step and Multi-step AM process principles

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 ISO/ASTM 52900:2015(E)

distributed layer by layer in a powder bed, deposited by a geometric shape and basic material properties of the intended
nozzle, applied as layers in a sheet stack, deposited through a product are achieved in a single operation simultaneously.
print head, or applied as a liquid, paste or slurry in a vat. In Removal of the support structure and cleaning may be neces-
respect to the great possibilities for variation in different types sary. Figs. A1.2-A1.4 represent overviews of single step AM
of materials, different types of feedstock and means of distri- processing principles for metallic materials, polymer materials
bution of the feedstock, there is a large number of possible and ceramic materials.
principles that could be used for additive manufacturing
processes. However, while there are significant research and A1.3.3 Overview of AM Multi-step Processing Principles—
development activities in this area world-wide, far from all The parts are fabricated in two or more operations where the
potential solutions have been realized in a working process, first typically provides the basic geometric shape and the
and fewer still have reached the market. Figs. A1.2-A1.5 give following consolidates the part to the intended basic material
an overview of process principles that are presently available properties. If desired, the process can be concluded after the
on the market and have been proven viable in an industrial first operation thus producing a part in a composite material,
context. joined together by material adhesion. Fig. A1.5 represents an
A1.3.2 Overview of AM Single-step Processing Principles— overview of multi-step AM processing principles for metallic,
The parts are fabricated in a single operation where the basic ceramic and composite materials.

FIG. A1.2 Overview of single-step AM processing principles for metallic materials

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ISO/ASTM 52900:2015(E)

FIG. A1.3 Overview of single-step AM processing principles for polymer materials

FIG. A1.4 Overview of single-step AM processing principles for ceramic materials

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 ISO/ASTM 52900:2015(E)

FIG. A1.5 Overview of multi-step AM processing principles for metallic, ceramic and composite materials

Bibliography

(1) ISO 841, Industrial automation systems and integration – Numeri- (4) ISO 17296-2, Additive manufacturing – General principles – Part
cal control of machines – Coordinate system and motion nomen- 2: Overview of process categories and feedstock
clature (5) ISO/ASTM 52915, Standard specification for additive manufactur-
(2) ISO 10241-1, Terminological entries in standards – Part 1: Gen- ing file format (AMF)
eral requirements and examples of presentation (6) ISO/ASTM 52921, Standard terminology for additive manufactur-
(3) ISO 10303, Industrial automation systems and integration – Prod- ing – Coordinate systems and test methodologies
uct data representation and exchange

ASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentioned
in this standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any such patent rights, and the risk
of infringement of such rights, are entirely their own responsibility.

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