USU Mechanical Engineering Professor Heads Additive Manufacturing Committee

Utah State University Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering associate professor Brent Stucker was elected chairman of the Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing Technologies within ASTM International. 

Additive manufacturing is a collection of processes where an object is created by adding layers of material to create a final product. Some of the processes commonly used in additive manufacturing include electron beam melting, stereolithography, fused deposition modeling, three-dimensional printing, PolyJet and laser sintering.

 

“Although standards-making activities are primarily service oriented, my efforts will also be focused on gaining international funding for coordinating research related to standards,” said Stucker. “Getting the committee established was a project I worked on during my sabbatical, and I am pleased to be part of this international endeavor.”

 

Committee F42 was formed through cooperative efforts of ASTM International and the Society of Manufacturing Engineering to oversee the technologies that consist of additive manufacturing. The committee’s mandate is to increase research and encourage application of the multiple technologies that comprise additive manufacturing by creating a comprehensive set of standards.

 

“Dr. Stucker’s selection as the chair for the ASTM F42 Committee is significant and a strong indication of his leadership and international reputation in the additive manufacturing community,” said Byard Wood, USU Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department head. “Additive manufacturing has matured into a commercially viable technology, and Dr. Stucker’s work with the committee allows him to engage in collaborative research with industry and other research organizations.”

 

Many products manufactured today are impacted in some way by additive manufacturing, including cars, planes, consumer electronics and sporting goods. The international aviation giant Boeing uses additive manufacturing to make parts for military and commercial aircraft. Sony Ericsson, the mobile phone company, uses the technology to model and prototype new designs, as does power tool producer Black and Decker. European companies Arcam AB in Sweden and Materialise Group in Belgium both use additive manufacturing technology to make artificial knees and other medical implants.

 

More artistic uses of the technology come from companies such as Freedom of Creation Inc. in the Netherlands, which makes unique lighting fixtures and home furnishings. On the fun side, players of the popular online role playing game World of Warcraft can have customized models of their characters made for them by Figure Prints Inc. in Vancouver, British Columbia.

 

Additive manufacturing technology has even crossed into the “sweet tooth” sector with the CandyFab Project. Using the Internet to share pictures and information, a group of intrepid do-it-yourselfers uses a modified version of the technology — with hot air and powdered sugar — to create sweet-tasting treats.

 

Committee F42 has 100 members and five technical subcommittees. The committee meets twice a year for three days of technical meetings. The new standards set by the committee will play a preeminent role in all aspects of additive manufacturing technologies, said Stucker.

More information is available at the ASTM International Technical Committee F42 Web site.

 

ASTM International was established in 1898 and is one of the largest international standards development and delivery systems in the world. ASTM International meets the World Trade Organization principles for the development of international standards: coherence, consensus, development dimension, effectiveness, impartiality, openness, relevance and transparency. ASTM standards are accepted and used in research and development, product testing, quality systems and commercial transactions around the globe.

 

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Writer: Latashia Redhouse, 435-797-1350, lottie.red@aggiemail.usu.edu