ISO and ASTM define standard for additive manufacturing in construction

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ISO and ASTM have collectively outlined requirements for additive manufacturing in development. Credit score: Adobe Inventory

Robotic arms and additive manufacturing are altering how supplies are dealt with and the way buildings are constructed. Nevertheless, as robots enter new environments and tackle new duties, the necessity grows for builders, integrators, and finish customers to pay attention to high quality and security necessities. The Worldwide Group for Standardization, or ISO, has posted paperwork to assist them meet these necessities.

Commonplace defines secure design for industrial finish effectors

An instance of related industrial requirements, ISO/TR 20218-1:2018 supplies steerage on the secure design and integration of finish effectors for robots. It additionally provides to ISO 10218-2:2011 on how one can combine robots.

The doc covers collaborative robotic functions, the place robots share workspace with individuals.

“In such collaborative functions, the end-effector design is of main significance, notably traits similar to shapes, surfaces and utility operate (e.g. clamping forces, residual materials era, temperature),” wrote ISO.

It emphasised the significance of conducting security assessments. Even when robots are marketed as collaborative, their payloads or movement is probably not.

Security incidents are uncommon, however events ought to do their due diligence when creating and deploying robots, famous Aaron Prather, director of robotics and autonomous techniques at ASTM International.

ISO and ASTM publish first joint commonplace for AC

Introduced this week, ISO/ASTM 52939:2023 specifies qualification ideas for structural and infrastructure parts in additive manufacturing for development. It supplies standards for additive development (AC) processes, high quality, and components for system operations, in addition to processes on a website.

The brand new commonplace applies to all additive manufacturing applied sciences in constructing and development of load bearing and non-load bearing buildings, in addition to structural parts for residential and industrial functions. It doesn’t cowl metals, materials properties, operational security, packaging of apparatus and supplies, or pointers for working particular robots.

ISO/ASTM 52939:2023 is the primary collectively revealed commonplace from ISO and ASTM Worldwide, mentioned Prather. Requirements our bodies sometimes give attention to totally different applied sciences, functions, and industries, however world cooperation can enhance employee security, product high quality, and regulatory environments, he famous.

“This addresses transferring from conventional development requirements and bridging over to additive,” Prather advised The Robot Report. “[It could be] step one on many to return.”

“This commonplace additionally units the premise for the approaching development robotic requirements which can be within the works throughout quite a few organizations,” he added.

The usual is voluntary, and builders should comply with native and regional necessities, famous ISO. In October, ASTM Worldwide announced a roadmap for digitalization of the development business, sponsored by the Nationwide Institute of Science and Know-how (NIST).

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Additive manufacturing altering development 

A number of corporations have demonstrated the potential of additive manufacturing for production-grade parts and 3D-printed buildings, together with ABB, Branch Technology, HS2, ICON Technology, Mighty Buildings, and SQ4D.

These techniques typically combine concrete extruders with gantry robots or industrial robot arms. There has additionally been analysis into using drones for restore of difficult-to-reach buildings, and NASA performed a 3D-printed habitat challenge in 2019.

Potential benefits embrace stronger and distinctive architectures, much less waste of supplies, and even discount in carbon emissions, in accordance with analysis stories from Palgrave Macmillan and Frontiers Media. The worldwide marketplace for 3D printing techniques in construction is modest however may enhance from $13.38 million in 2023 to $22.63 million by 2030 at a compound annual progress fee (CAGR) of seven.8%, predicted Advantage Market Analysis.