Overview
ISO/ASTM 52910:2018 - Additive manufacturing - Design - Requirements, guidelines and recommendations provides structured requirements, guidelines and recommendations for designing products to be fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM). It applies to all product types, parts and components produced by any AM system and helps designers determine which AM design considerations to use. The standard gives general guidance and highlights issues; it does not supply process‑specific or material‑specific design data.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Design intent and scope: Defines the purpose of design for AM, including how to identify AM potential and incorporate AM strengths into product design.
- Design opportunities and limitations: Explains AM freedoms (complex/custom geometries, lattice structures, consolidation of assemblies) and typical constraints (surface finish, geometric accuracy, process‑induced defects).
- AM process categories: Discusses implications for design across major process families such as:
- Binder jetting
- Directed energy deposition
- Material extrusion
- Material jetting
- Powder bed fusion
- Sheet lamination
- Vat photopolymerization
- Design considerations (Clause 6): Comprehensive topics designers must evaluate, including:
- Product functional and usage considerations (thermal, chemical, radiation exposure)
- Sustainability and life‑cycle aspects
- Business considerations (cost, lead time, production volume)
- Geometry and manufacturability (build volume, orientation, supports, surface roughness)
- Material property considerations (mechanical, thermal, electrical)
- Process‑chain and communication requirements
- Warnings to designers: “Red flag” issues and common pitfalls that can cause problems across AM systems.
- Normative references: Links to related terminology and coordinate/test methodology standards (e.g., ISO/ASTM 52921).
Practical applications and users
- Who should use it
- Product designers and engineering managers developing AM parts
- Students learning mechanical and CAD design with AM focus
- Developers of AM design guidelines, DfAM tools and training curricula
- How it’s used
- Assessing whether a part is a good candidate for additive manufacturing
- Guiding design decisions to exploit AM advantages (light‑weighting, consolidation, customization)
- Informing process selection and risk assessment where material availability, build volume and property requirements are critical
- Establishing company design practices and education materials for design for AM (DfAM)
Related standards
- ISO/ASTM 52921 (terminology and test methodologies)
- ISO/ASTM 52900 (AM fundamental principles and process categories) - referenced for process definitions
Practical takeaway: ISO/ASTM 52910:2018 is a foundational DfAM standard that helps translate AM capabilities into design choices, improve manufacturability, and reduce risk when bringing AM parts from concept to production.