AddUp becomes the first company to reach this milestone
AddUp has become the first OEM to be awarded ASTM Additive Manufacturing (AM) safety certification, reflecting the company's commitment to safety, innovation, and industry standards.
AMS certification programs were created with the help of AddUp over the past few years. The partnership between AddUp and ASTM helped define the safety requirements and protocols required to achieve certification. This provided a guideline to achieve what is required to be considered a safe working environment.
The audit included a detailed evaluation of AddUp’s AM facility. Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), machine installation and grounding, powder handling, hazardous waste disposal, and facility cleanliness are all important factors for attaining certification.
ASTM was guided by AddUp through the various safety measures in its AM facility. This helped establish a roadmap for other manufacturers looking to join the AM industry on how best to create a safe facility, furthering the potential growth of the industry.
Austin Kron, AddUp’s director of operations and field service, said: “We are incredibly excited to be part of this initiative with ASTM. When we set up our own AM facility, we realised there were no clear standards for the industry. We wanted to help create a roadmap for others, showing how to do it safely and effectively. We take pride in being the gold standard for AM safety.”
The Safety Equipment Institute (SEI) conducted the ‘first-of-its-kind’ audit for additive manufacturing. AddUp became the inaugural company audited for AMS certification and worked alongside SEI auditors to help them understand equipment. AddUp saw the audit as an opportunity to educate SEI and provide feedback.
Paul Bates, senior lead of training and certification programs at ASTM International AM CoE, said: “AddUp’s commitment to safety has been exemplary. Their involvement in helping us define the guidelines for this certification and their willingness to open their doors for the first-ever AMS audit speaks volumes about their leadership in the AM industry. AddUp has set a new standard for AM safety, and we are grateful for their dedication.”
The audit was conducted at the AddUp solution centre in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was built in 2021. It contains dedicated AM workspaces, including powder bed fusion and directed energy deposition machines. The facility also features a metallurgical laboratory as well as training facilities, and post-processing machining departments. These add on to its demonstration facility responsibilities and uses. It is ISO 9001, AS 9100 certified, and ITAR and CMMC compliant and offers printing and consulting services along with training.
Safety mechanisms such as static control measures, oxygen exposure prevention for reactive materials, fire suppression systems, dust cloud mitigation, air quality controls, and rigorous employee training protocols were built into the facility to provide extra safety.
AddUps LevelUp Service Solutions program offers a consulting service to provide expert advice to manufacturers looking to introduce an AM facility. This helps manufacturers reach a high level of safety.
ASTM continues to set standards throughout industries to keep consumer confidence high in products.
