Press and Media

13 November 2019

TÜV SÜD advances digitalisation of 3D-printing

Under the theme of “iAM ready – ready for industrial manufacturing“ TÜV SÜD will showcase its service portfolio in additive manufacturing at formnext from 19 to 22 November (Hall 11.1, Stand E60). In addition to new standards and tests, the experts will present an outline for digital component certification. TÜV SÜD will also showcase a 3D-printing service network comprising certified contract manufacturers. The network is synonymous with top quality in the market and provides all product manufacturers and distributors with fast, safe and secure access to additive manufacturing.

“To open the door to additive manufacturing on an industrial scale, we need a paradigm shift in process qualification”, says Gregor Reischle, Head of Additive Manufacturing, TÜV SÜD Product Service. “In order to achieve this, all quality-critical factors will require product-specific control. Hardware, software and materials must live up to the envisaged product characteristics. For this purpose, we have established international certification and qualification programmes.” The companies certified as “industrial Additive Manufacturing ready” (“iAM ready”) form a quality-assured production network. Current members of the network include Blue Production, Evonik, Protiq, Siemens Mobility and Toolcraft.

Publication of first AM standard serving as reference specification
At the TÜV SÜD stand, formnext visitors will be able to examine the new DIN SPEC 17071. This specification for industrial additive manufacturing is a precursor to the ISO/ASTM standard, slated for publication later in the future. The specification assists manufacturers with establishing quality assurance and risk minimisation for manufacturing processes in regulated industries where rigorous standards apply, such as aerospace and medical devices. DIN SPEC 17071 is an initiative by Deutsche Bahn AG, MT Aerospace AG, Siemens Mobility GmbH and TÜV SÜD, in which these companies have played major and active roles. The specification will be officially presented by publisher Beuth on 15 November 2019 and will then be available as a free download on www.din.de.

At its stand at formnext, at 9:30 am each day, TÜV SÜD will offer a 30-minute introduction to the DIN SPEC 17071 specification aimed at media representatives and specialist visitors.

Concept study on digital component certification
At formnext, TÜV SÜD will also present its concept study for digital component certification. Digital component certification provides for automated certification and monitoring of the use of 3D-printed components. Certification and monitoring are effected across several locations by means of a digital fingerprint, ensuring transparency and product-specific manufacturing quality. By means of sample 3D-printed workpieces, TÜV SÜD will demonstrate what such a process could look like. Using a 3D-printed code, these workpieces are uniquely identified and allocated to a dataset. TÜV SÜD further intends to publish a Digital Part Report, thereby bringing greater transparency to the properties of additively manufactured components. The publication of this report is scheduled for as early as 2020.

Collaboration with industry and research
TÜV SÜD has joined the Aachen Centre for Additive Manufacturing (ACAM), a partnership of AM users from research and industry, with the goal of gaining further partners for the development of technological solutions. “We look forward to establishing successful pilot projects in the ACAM network and further improving our existing AM certifications”, says Gregor Reischle. TÜV SÜD had already joined various partnerships at the Industrial Transformation Asia Pacific Conference (ITAP) in Singapore, including with thyssenkrupp Innovations and the Centre for Additive Manufacturing at Singapore University.

TÜV SÜD talk
On the TCT Introducing Stage, Georg Reischle will present the new services from TÜV SÜD and provide answers to the question of “Are we ready for industrial AM, and do we keep our promises?” (Wednesday, 20 November, 11:15 am)

About formnext
Combining a trade show and conference, formnext is one of the most important events in the AM industry. This year's partner country is the USA.

For further information about formnext and to register, go to: https://formnext.mesago.com/frankfurt/en.html.
More about TÜV SÜD can be found at: https://tuvsud.com/en/industries/manufacturing/machinery-and-robotics/additive-manufacturing

Press-contact: Dirk Moser-Delarami