This document establishes the required or the achievable classes of part properties for additive manufactured polymer parts in order to get a common understanding on part quality. It is aimed at providers of manufacturing services for polymer parts who use additive manufacturing machines and at the customers for these services. Designers of parts as well as buyers and providers of manufacturing services can specify, in a traceable manner, the required or the achievable level of part properties with the aid of this document. The classification is based on mechanical, physical and geometrical properties. Further properties can be defined between buyer and provider of manufacturing.
This document is applicable to parts that have been manufactured from a thermoplastic polymer by means of thermal reaction fusion of material typically applied by a powder bed fusion (PBF) or material extrusion (MEX) processes. This document is also applicable to thermoplastic parts made by other processes, provided that due consideration is given to process-specific topics.
The classification of part properties applies to parts in as-built condition, that have been unpacked from the build space, with all support structures removed, but prior to any post-processing operations.
Specific industries (e.g. aerospace and medical) typically specify additional requirements.