Research with the highest international visibility - the topic of 3D printing in Kassel

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a topic that is receiving more and more international attention. At the end of November, one of the largest international conferences on additive manufacturing took place - the "ASTM International Conference on Additive Manufacturing" (ASTM ICAM 2020). At this conference, Kassel-based Professor Thomas Niendorf was honored with the ASTM AM Center ofExcellence 's "Award of Excellence in Research" for his internationally visible contributions to evaluating the safety and reliability of additively manufactured materials.

"This award means a great deal to me, as it shows that we in Kassel have made a significant contribution to the worldwide dissemination and acceptance of this fascinating new technological development. Especially the strategy of primarily analyzing and comprehensively evaluating the material properties of additively manufactured structures in a fundamental way, as well as focusing on their reliability in various application areas, has always been an important concern for me," is Prof. Niendorf's direct reaction after receiving the award.

In the laudation, ASTM President Katharine E. Morgan emphasizes that the far-reaching contributions of the Kassel working group can be classified at the highest international level, both in the field of basic research and with regard to the transfer of these findings into practice. "In the world of additive manufacturing, Kassel is thus not only at the heart of Germany, but of the entire world" is Prof. Niendorf's conviction.

Prof. Niendorf heads the Metallic Materials Department at the Institute of Materials Engineering at the University of Kassel. Since taking up his post in 2015, he and his team have been able to publish widely visible scientific findings in the research field and thus significantly increase Kassel's visibility on this topic.

Background

Responsible for standards in Germany is the German Institute for Standardization, or DIN. The counterpart to this organization in America is ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials.

ASTM International set up a committee just over ten years ago to develop standards for additive manufacturing - better known as 3D printing. This committee has evolved into an international collaboration that brings together leading experts in 3D printing worldwide: the ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence, or AM CoE.

The AM CoE is a collaborative partnership between ASTM International - and its 30,000 members - and representatives from government, academia and industry that conducts strategic research and development to advance standards in all aspects of additive manufacturing. Partners include the U.S. space agency NASA, among others.

The most recent AM CoE meeting in November was attended by about 600 participants from more than 30 countries.

Contact:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Niendorf
University of Kassel
Institute of Materials Engineering
Department of Metallic Materials
Tel.: 0561 804 7018
E-mail: niendorf[at]uni-kassel[dot]de