Apply ISO/ASTM 52900 terminology and process categories to distinguish quality requirements across additive manufacturing technologies.
Quality & Productivity
Quality Assurance for Additive Manufacturing and 3D-Printed Components
Qualifies additive manufacturing machines, materials and processes and applies powder control, in-process monitoring and non-destructive testing to assure 3D-printed part quality.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Additive manufacturing introduces defect types, process variables and traceability demands that conventional machining or casting quality systems were never designed to catch, and organisations that apply generic quality procedures to 3D-printed parts often miss porosity, lack of fusion and build-orientation-dependent variability until a part fails in service. This course builds a quality assurance approach specific to additive manufacturing, using the ISO/ASTM 52900 process framework to structure quality planning across powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition and other AM technologies. Participants work through powder quality control, build parameter verification, in-process monitoring such as melt pool sensing, and non-destructive testing methods including computed tomography, before addressing post-processing, first article inspection and digital traceability. The course draws on aerospace and medical device examples where AM parts face the most demanding qualification requirements. Participants leave with a machine and process qualification protocol, an NDT selection framework and a digital traceability structure ready to adapt to their own AM production line.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Design a powder quality control programme covering chemistry, particle size distribution and reuse cycle limits.
Specify in-process monitoring, such as melt pool monitoring, that detects AM-specific defects during the build rather than after.
Select non-destructive testing methods, including computed tomography, appropriate to internal AM defect types.
Qualify an AM machine, material and process combination before it is released for production parts.
Build a digital traceability record that links a finished part back to its build file, machine log and post-processing history.
Design a first article inspection plan that accounts for build-orientation-dependent variability in AM parts.
Who Should Attend
Quality engineers responsible for additive manufacturing process and part qualification.
Manufacturing engineers introducing additive manufacturing into a production line.
NDT technicians extending inspection methods to AM components.
Aerospace and medical device quality teams pursuing AM certification.
Materials engineers managing powder and feedstock quality programmes.
Programme managers overseeing AM part qualification for regulated industries.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01AM Process Categories and Material Quality Foundations
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Applying ISO/ASTM 52900 Terminology to Quality Planning
- Classify a given AM process under the ISO/ASTM 52900 seven-process framework to determine applicable quality standards.
- Compare quality risk profiles across powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition and material extrusion processes.
- Map process-specific defect types, such as porosity and lack of fusion, to their most likely root causes.
- Identify which AM-specific standards apply to a given industry sector, such as aerospace or medical devices.
Session 2Controlling Powder and Feedstock Quality
- Set acceptance criteria for powder chemistry, particle size distribution and morphology before first use.
- Track powder reuse cycles and blend ratios to control the effect of oxidation and degradation on part quality.
- Design a contamination control procedure for powder handling, sieving and storage between builds.
- Certify feedstock lots against a material specification before releasing them for qualified production builds.
02In-Process Monitoring and Build Parameter Control
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Verifying and Locking Build Parameters
- Define the build parameter set, including laser power, scan speed and layer thickness, that constitutes a qualified process.
- Control parameter changes through a formal process change procedure rather than operator discretion during a build.
- Verify build chamber conditions, such as oxygen level and platform temperature, against qualification limits before each run.
- Document machine calibration and preventive maintenance records as part of the part quality record.
Session 2Using In-Process Monitoring to Catch Defects During the Build
- Specify melt pool monitoring or acoustic emission sensing appropriate to the process and defect types of concern.
- Set alarm thresholds that distinguish genuine process anomalies from normal parameter variation.
- Correlate in-process monitoring signals with post-build inspection results to validate the monitoring system's sensitivity.
- Decide when an in-process anomaly requires build termination versus flagged post-build inspection.
03Post-Build Inspection and Non-Destructive Testing
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Selecting Non-Destructive Testing Methods for AM Parts
- Choose between computed tomography, ultrasonic testing and dye penetrant methods based on the part's internal geometry.
- Set acceptance criteria for porosity size, location and density using computed tomography scan data.
- Distinguish critical internal features requiring full-volume inspection from features suited to sampling plans.
- Validate the NDT method's detection capability against known defect standards specific to AM materials.
Session 2Post-Processing and First Article Inspection
- Specify heat treatment and hot isostatic pressing parameters needed to close internal porosity and relieve residual stress.
- Verify surface finish and dimensional accuracy after support removal and machining against the part drawing.
- Design a first article inspection plan that accounts for build-orientation-dependent dimensional and mechanical variability.
- Test witness coupons built alongside production parts to verify mechanical properties without destroying the part itself.
04Qualification, Traceability and Continuous Production
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Qualifying Machines, Materials and Operators
- Run a machine qualification protocol that establishes repeatability across multiple builds before production release.
- Qualify a material and process combination through mechanical testing across the expected property envelope.
- Certify operators on machine-specific build setup, monitoring interpretation and post-processing handoff procedures.
- Requalify a machine or process after a significant parameter, software or hardware change.
Session 2Building Digital Traceability and Sustaining Quality
- Build a digital thread that links a finished part serial number to its build file, machine log and inspection results.
- Design a statistical process control approach for recurring AM production that accounts for part-to-part and build-to-build variation.
- Prepare AM-specific evidence for aerospace or aviation-sector process audits where the industry requires additional controls.
- Review defect trends across production builds to feed continuous improvement back into parameter and design standards.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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