Materials testing in metal additive manufacturing (AM) involves characterization of raw materials and evaluation of finished parts. The raw materials used in metal AM processes include powders, filaments and sheets. Powders are utilized in many AM processes, most notably powder bed fusion (PBF), while filaments are used in extrusion and certain deposition processes, with sheets used for lamination processes.
The rapid pace of adoption of AM processes by industry has created a serious gap in standardization of materials, processes, test methods and design. The largest unified AM standardization effort involves a joint effort between the AM committees of ASTM F42 and ISO TC 261. Joint ISO/ASTM standards will be published as European standards (EN) through collaboration with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN).