NIAR Joins ASTM International AM Center of Excellence

Global standards organization ASTM International has announced that Wichita State University’s (WSU) National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) will join its Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence as its first strategic partner. ASTM International and four founding partners recently launched the center to support R&D that advances additive manufacturing standards, which in turn will drive commercialization of cutting-edge additive manufacturing technologies.

Dr. John Tomblin, WSU vice president for research and technology transfer, and Dr. Mohsen Seifi, ASTM International’s director of global additive manufacturing programs, made the announcement at a joint workshop focused on qualifying and certifying metal additively manufactured parts. Hundreds of government and industry leaders attended the event, co-sponsored by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

“We’re proud to be the first strategic partner in this globally-recognized center of excellence that will help build the technical foundation for the future of additive manufacturing,” Tomblin says. “The center is attracting an array of leading industry players to the table to speak with one voice and make an impact.”

“Building on its strengths, NIAR will lead efforts to qualify additively manufactured materials and to further strengthen relationships with key aerospace regulators worldwide,” Seifi adds. “Leveraging their expertise in R&D, we will develop much-needed standards that will significantly enhance certification in aviation and other industries. We’re thrilled to have the NIAR team on board.”

NIAR is an industry-focused research institute at WSU, home to one of the world’s leading aerospace engineering programs. As such, NIAR plans to be engaged in the center of excellence’s R&D activities, education and workforce development efforts, and other functions and programs.

The center officially launched in July, when ASTM International signed an agreement with founding partners Auburn University, NASA, manufacturing technology innovator EWI, and the UK-based Manufacturing Technology Centre. 

The National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence is housed within facilities of all its partners, including Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering where it launched. The university is also home to the Center for Industrialized Additive Manufacturing and a Certificate in Additive Manufacturing program.