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hard- and software, as well as other advantages over the existing
AMF format [43].
Consortia in general have seen a rise over the past years,
especially in the ICT domain [10, 44] and it needs to be seen
whether and how this standard will disseminate. In June 2016
ASTM and the 3MF consortium signed a liaison agreement to
potentially collaborate on data exchange formats with the aim of
sharing information and jointly developing standards [45].
According to the model of Blind and Gauch, safety, reliability and
testing standards become more and more relevant with the further
development of the technology and its adoption. This can be seen
in AM as well, where many of the ongoing standardization
Fig. 3. Type of published AM standards (incl. revisions) projects deal with testing methods, quality control and safety
12 issues. These topics are increasingly important for manufacturers
who have to deal with the hazards associated with the production
9 3 process and materials. These risks include e.g. toxicity through
6 7 7 airborne emissions, burning, electrical or mechanical hazards [8].
3 2 1 5 2 3 Quality assurance is considered one of the most important barriers
to a broader adoption of AM, especially in metal applications.
0 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 Meeting regulatory requirements poses grand challenges to
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 manufacturers: especially in industries such as medicine,
polymer metal nonspecific aerospace or defense where critical components are manufactured,

Fig. 4. Published AM standards by material category (incl. revisions) failures need to be avoided and the production process and input
materials need to be qualified. This requires reliable quality and
ISO/ASTM 52900:2015). Terminology standards are especially testing standards. The sheer number of parameters that influence
important for emerging technologies since they allow a common the output (more than 130) makes finding the right settings
understanding of basic components and elements, facilitating challenging. Standards can help to come up with the desired
efficient communication and transfer of knowledge in research quality performance, e.g. in terms of required density of parts or
and standardization. Terminology issues need to be addressed and surface characteristics. Certified input materials will help
solved in early stages in the innovation cycle in order to avoid a manufacturers in making the right purchase decisions for their
diversion of understanding of a technology [10]. In AM they not purpose [46]. The data show increasing standardization activities
only contributed to knowledge transfer in R&D but also to a better in that field with ongoing projects on new test methods, especially
orientation for consumers concerning the diverse technologies and non-destructing, quality control, but also more and more standards
applications in AM, bridging R&D and markets. for materials and processes.
The figure also shows well a soon beginning focus on material and Analyzing the development of AM standards, it can be seen that
process standards since they are a key to greater reliability, many of them have been revised or withdrawn over time. Egyedi
accuracy and repeatability. This became increasingly important and Sherif distinguish internal and external causes for such
with the application in manufacturing e.g. in aerospace or changes [47]. The latter kind of change accompanies the evolving
automotive industry. nature of the technology which can be seen in the example of AM
Not only with the integration in an ongoing digitalization of terminology standards that have been revised several times over
production in the context of the industrial internet of things, but the years caused by the technological progress in terms of
also with advancements in the AM technology itself such as the processes and applications. Also the file format standards have to
possibility of multi-color- or multi-material printing, the be and will be changed due to changes in technology and new
importance of interoperability and compatibility standards grew. performance requirements. As the technology matures, standards
In general, they are of particular importance for the transition of a will become more stable [47].
new technology into the mass market since they ensure the Fig. 4 shows that the majority of standards published so far are
interoperability and smooth operation between products or whole applicable to AM in general with no specific focus on any material
systems [10]. Suitable, comprehensive file formats are essential to used. However, it can also be seen that great efforts are made with
communicate and transfer data in the AM process [41]. regard to standards for metal based processes and materials which
Addressing the shortcoming of the long used de facto standard find application in industrial contexts, especially aerospace,
STL with regard to the newly developed features in AM [42], a automotive and defense – early adopters which are in need for
new ASTM standard was introduced in 2011 (ASTM 2915, later standards for compliance with regulation and high market
adopted as ISO/ASTM 52915:2013, new version in 2016). requirements.
Despite its advantages, this new format AMF is no complete
solution and has never been fully adopted by the industry that Many more standards are currently under development: 52
reacted hesitantly, each vendor waiting for a move of the other ongoing projects have been identified during the research, most of
actors [42]. The difficulty in finding a neutral efficient and them in ASTM, ISO or VDI. With the rise of desktop 3D printers
capable standard is high from a technological but also market for end users, the need for standards for that domain has risen.
perspective. Many of the information and data are currently in IEEE currently develops a dedicated standard for consumer 3D
vendor specific proprietary formats which stifles full and open Printing (IEEE P3030). It can also be seen that more and more
competition and consequently innovation and development [27]. standards for specific AM applications are being developed such
A Microsoft-led consortium introduced a new standard 3MF as medical 3D printing or Printed Electronics, but also a growing
which is expected to widely spread due to the market dominance number of standards for quality and safety.
of the consortium [37]. The consortium claims the same smooth Fig. 5 illustrates the innovation system in AM, mapped onto the
printing experience as in 2D printing, irrespective of the used framework developed by Featherston et al. (2016). Major

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