EN ISO/ASTM 52939:2023
(Main)Additive Manufacturing for construction - Qualification principles - Structural and infrastructure elements (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Additive Manufacturing for construction - Qualification principles - Structural and infrastructure elements (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
This document specifies quality assurance requirements for additive construction (AC) concerning building and construction projects in which additive manufacturing techniques are used for construction. The requirements are independent of the material(s) and process category used.
This document does not apply to metals.
This document specifies the criteria for additive construction processes, quality-relevant characteristics, and factors along AC system operations. It further specifies activities and sequences within an AC cell (additive construction site) and project.
This document applies to all additive manufacturing technologies in building and construction (load bearing and non-load bearing), structural and infrastructure building elements for residential and commercial applications and follows an approach oriented to the process.
This document does not cover environmental, health and safety aspects that apply to printing facility setup, material handling, operating of robotic equipment, and packing of equipment and/or elements for shipping but material supplier guidelines, robotic solution operating guidelines, and local and regional requirements are applicable.
This document does not cover design approvals, material properties characterization and testing.
Additive Fertigung für das Bauwesen - Grundsätze der Qualifizierung - Struktur- und Infrastrukturelemente (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Dieses Dokument legt Qualitätssicherungsanforderungen an die additive Konstruktion (AC) in Bezug auf Bau und Konstruktionsprojekte fest, in denen additive Fertigungsverfahren für die Konstruktion angewendet werden. Die Anforderungen sind nicht von den verwendeten Werkstoffen und Prozesskategorien abhängig.
Dieses Dokument ist nicht für Metalle anwendbar.
Dieses Dokument legt die Kriterien für additive Konstruktionsprozesse, qualitätsrelevante Eigenschaften und Faktoren im Rahmen des Betriebs von AC-Systemen fest. Es legt weiterhin Aktivitäten und Abläufe innerhalb einer AC-Zelle (Additive Baustelle) und eines Projekts fest.
Dieses Dokument ist anwendbar für alle additiven Fertigungstechnologien im Bau- und Konstruktionswesen (lasttragend und nicht-lasttragend) sowie für strukturelle und Infrastruktur-Bauelemente für Wohnungsbau- und Gewerbebauanwendungen und folgt einem an dem Prozess ausgerichteten Ansatz.
Dieses Dokument befasst sich nicht mit Umweltschutz-, Gesundheits- und Sicherheitsaspekten, die für den Aufbau der Druckeinrichtung, die Materialhandhabung, den Betrieb von Industrierobotern und das Verpacken von Ausrüstung und/oder Elementen für den Versand anwendbar sind, es gelten jedoch Richtlinien des Materiallieferanten, Betriebsrichtlinien der Robotiklösung und lokale und regionale Anforderungen.
Bauartzulassungen, Charakterisierung und Prüfung von Materialeigenschaften werden in diesem Dokument nicht behandelt.
Fabrication additive pour la construction - Principes de qualification - Eléments de structure et d'infrastructure (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Le présent document spécifie les exigences d'assurance qualité applicables à la construction additive (CA) pour des projets dans le domaine du bâtiment et de la construction, et impliquant des techniques de fabrication additive. Les exigences ne dépendent pas du ou des matériaux ni de la catégorie de procédé utilisés.
Le présent document ne s'applique pas aux métaux.
Le présent document spécifie les critères pour les procédés de construction additive, les caractéristiques significatives pour la qualité et les facteurs liés aux opérations du système de CA. Il spécifie en outre les activités et séquences mises en place au sein d'une cellule de CA (site de construction additive) et d'un projet de CA.
Le présent document s'applique à l'ensemble des technologies de fabrication additive dans le domaine du bâtiment et de la construction (avec ou sans charge), concernant des éléments de construction structurels et d'infrastructure de nature résidentielle ou commerciale; il développe une approche orientée processus.
Le présent document ne couvre pas les aspects relatifs à l'environnement, à la santé et à la sécurité applicables au réglage de l'installation d'impression, à la manipulation des matériaux, au fonctionnement de l'équipement robotisé, et à l'emballage de l'équipement et/ou des éléments pour livraison; cependant, les recommandations du fournisseur de matériaux, les instructions d'utilisation des solutions robotiques et les exigences locales et régionales le prescrivent.
Le présent document ne traite pas de l'approbation de conception, de la caractérisation des propriétés des matériaux ni des essais.
Dodajalna izdelava v gradbeništvu - Kvalifikacija - Strukturni in infrastrukturni elementi (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Ta dokument določa zahteve za zagotavljanje kakovosti za aditivno proizvodnjo v gradbeništvu (AC) v zvezi z gradbenimi in konstrukcijskimi projekti, kjer se za gradnjo uporabljajo tehnike aditivne proizvodnje. Zahteve so neodvisne od uporabljenega materiala in kategorije obdelave.
Ta dokument se ne uporablja za kovine.
Ta dokument določa kriterije za postopke aditivne proizvodnje, lastnosti, pomembne za kakovost, in dejavnike in delovanje sistema aditivne proizvodnje. Prav tako določa aktivnosti in zaporedja v enoti (mesto aditivne proizvodnje v gradbeništvu) in projektu aditivne proizvodnje v gradbeništvu.
Ta dokument se uporablja za vse tehnologije aditivne proizvodnje v gradbeništvu in konstrukciji (nosilne in nenosilne), strukturne in infrastrukturne gradbene elemente za stanovanjske in komercialne uporabe in upošteva pristop, usmerjen v postopek.
Ta dokument ne zajema okoljskih, zdravstvenih in varnostnih vidikov, ki veljajo za postavitev tiskarskega obrata, ravnanje z materialom, upravljanje robotske opreme in pakiranje opreme in/ali elementov za odpremo, ampak veljajo navodila dobaviteljev materiala, navodila za upravljanje robotskih rešitev in lokalne in regionalne zahteve.
Ta dokument ne zajema odobritev projekta, opredelitev glavnih lastnosti materiala in preskušanja.
General Information
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-marec-2024
Aditivna proizvodnja v gradbeništvu - Kvalifikacija - Strukturni in infrastrukturni
elementi (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Additive Manufacturing for construction - Qualification principles - Structural and
infrastructure elements (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Additive Fertigung für das Bauwesen - Grundsätze der Qualifizierung - Struktur- und
Infrastrukturelemente (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Fabrication additive pour la construction - Principes de qualification - Eléments de
structure et d'infrastructure (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO/ASTM 52939:2023
ICS:
25.030 3D-tiskanje Additive manufacturing
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
EN ISO/ASTM 52939
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
December 2023
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 25.030
English Version
Additive Manufacturing for construction - Qualification
principles - Structural and infrastructure elements
(ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Fabrication additive pour la construction - Principes de Additive Fertigung für das Bauwesen - Grundsätze der
qualification - Eléments de structure et d'infrastructure Qualifizierung - Struktur- und Infrastrukturelemente
(ISO/ASTM 52939:2023) (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 1 December 2023.
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2023 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO/ASTM 52939:2023 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
European foreword
This document (EN ISO/ASTM 52939:2023) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 261
"Additive manufacturing" in collaboration with Technical Committee CEN/TC 438 “Additive
Manufacturing” the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by June 2024, and conflicting national standards shall be
withdrawn at the latest by June 2024.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards
body/national committee. A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the
United Kingdom.
Endorsement notice
The text of ISO/ASTM 52939:2023 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO/ASTM 52939:2023 without
any modification.
INTERNATIONAL ISO/ASTM
STANDARD 52939
First edition
2023-12
Additive manufacturing for
construction — Qualification
principles — Structural and
infrastructure elements
Fabrication additive pour la construction — Principes de
qualification — Éléments de structure et d'infrastructure
Reference number
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
© ISO/ASTM International 2023
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
© ISO/ASTM International 2023
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester. In the United States, such requests should be sent to ASTM International.
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Published in Switzerland
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© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Constructability, assessment and review. 3
4.1 General . 3
4.2 AC feasibility assessment . 4
4.3 Validation plan . 5
5 Infrastructure of the AC cell . 5
6 Qualification of the additive construction process. 8
6.1 Quality-relevant process steps within the additive construction process . 8
6.2 Data preparation . 9
6.3 Requirements for the material management . 10
6.4 System related pre-processing. 11
6.5 Built process guidance .12
6.6 System (default) post-processing . 13
6.7 Process qualification . 14
7 Quality assurance .15
7.1 General . 15
7.2 Personnel requirements . .15
7.3 Documentation and tracing of the process steps . 16
7.4 Quality controls . 17
7.5 Delivery and logistics . 18
Annex A (informative) Supplementary information .19
Annex B (informative) Examples for AC quality assurance .28
Annex C (informative) Examples for quality assurance steps in built process guidance .34
Annex D (informative) Examples for specific processes .36
Bibliography .38
iii
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use
of (a) patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed
patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received
notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are
cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent
database available at www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all
such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 261, Additive manufacturing, in
cooperation with ASTM Committee F42, Additive Manufacturing Technologies, on the basis of a
partnership agreement between ISO and ASTM International with the aim to create a common set of
ISO/ASTM standards on Additive Manufacturing and in collaboration with the European Committee for
Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee CEN/TC 438, Additive manufacturing, in accordance with
the Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
Introduction
The construction sector is increasingly facing challenges with respect to labour shortages, project delays,
increased lead times, excessive material use, large amounts of waste and adverse CO footprint impacts.
Furthermore, from a market perspective, the global construction demand is increasing especially as the
housing crisis continues and infrastructure projects (whether new or sustaining existing structures)
are on the increase. Additive construction (AC) also known as additive manufacturing for construction
(AMC) and 3D construction printing (3DCP) has the potential to address these issues directly.
Of late, AC has made great strides. Printed elements could potentially prove to be more durable,
more sustainable, more eco-friendly, cheaper (en masse), and faster to deliver than conventional
construction approaches. However, without AC standards, approval, certification, and risk mitigation
are unattainable.
The purpose of this document is to outline the requirements necessary as a basis for production and
delivery of high quality additively manufactured structures (residential or infrastructure) in the
construction sector.
Important steps of the AC process are specified. These steps will be controlled and monitored to
ensure high quality printed structures for on-site or off-site use. This document is not intended to be
technology- or material-specific, and therefore sub-processes are applicable depending on the approach
used. However, it should be noted that printed element(s) should be approved by a locally certified
engineer and adhere to both local and regional specifications and requirements.
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© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
Additive manufacturing for construction — Qualification
principles — Structural and infrastructure elements
1 Scope
This document specifies quality assurance requirements for additive construction (AC) concerning
building and construction projects in which additive manufacturing techniques are used for
construction. The requirements are independent of the material(s) and process category used.
This document does not apply to metals.
This document specifies the criteria for additive construction processes, quality-relevant
characteristics, and factors along AC system operations. It further specifies activities and sequences
within an AC cell (additive construction site) and project.
This document applies to all additive manufacturing technologies in building and construction (load
bearing and non-load bearing), structural and infrastructure building elements for residential and
commercial applications and follows an approach oriented to the process.
This document does not cover environmental, health and safety aspects that apply to printing facility
setup, material handling, operating of robotic equipment, and packing of equipment and/or elements for
shipping but material supplier guidelines, robotic solution operating guidelines, and local and regional
requirements are applicable.
This document does not cover design approvals, material properties characterization and testing.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/ASTM 52900, Additive manufacturing — General principles — Fundamentals and vocabulary
ISO/ASTM 52950, Additive manufacturing — General principles — Overview of data processing
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/ASTM 52900 and the
following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
additive manufacturing for construction
AMC
process to join materials to make structural and non-structural elements/components and systems
from 3D model data usually by depositing material layer upon layer as opposed to subtractive and
formative manufacturing methodologies
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
3.2
additive construction
AC
term to describe all relevant disciplines and knowledge for the construction segment using additive
manufacturing process categories
Note 1 to entry: The use of the technologies covers all relevant construction sectors, for example large scale real
estate projects, entire buildings and building elements, civil infrastructure, and disaster relief.
Note 2 to entry: AC describes all relevant knowledge disciplines, for example: architecture, engineering,
structural engineering, materials engineering, robot operator, project management, construction management,
facility management, etc.
Note 3 to entry: Other terms used interchangeably are: Digital Construction (DC), Construction 4.0, Advanced
Manufacturing in Construction (AMC), Construction 3D Printing (C3DP) and 3D Construction Printing (3DCP).
Note 4 to entry: Building materials include:
— cementitious variations such as concrete and mortar, polymer modified pastes,
— composite materials.
Note 5 to entry: Intrinsic to the current definition is a high degree of robotic automation, a reduced degree of
human intervention during the construction process, and minimal waste due to as-needed material delivery
systems.
Note 6 to entry: As of this writing in 2023, the field of AC is rapidly evolving, and novel materials and methods are
very likely to become included in this definition.
Note 7 to entry: AC is used on-site or off-site (e.g. modular factory-based production).
3.3
layer deposition
application of a single layer
3.4
AC cell
printing solution deployed on site for in-situ printing (includes material mixing and placement systems)
3.5
material deposition device
numerically controlled assembly, including mixing and delivery mechanisms for raw materials, binders,
and additives; places the mixture based on a digital simulation entered in the assembly’s electronic
programs, without the need for direct human intervention or for using moulds
3.6
physical production
physical totality of the build space, elements located on the build space, and production related support
structures and plant in the build space of the system
3.7
virtual production run
computer/digital simulation of the physical production (3.7) run (print file)
EXAMPLE Printing simulation.
3.8
dry production run
process of running the build program with no materials to verify the first layer toolpath and other
critical points of the program; and can be part of calibration process
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
3.9
construction process
digital and physical AC operations, from setup of the robot through completion of the final printed
element, including quality assurance testing and verification
3.10
mechanical, electrical and plumbing
MEP
building systems required for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; electrical power and
communication supply; and water supply and sewage removal, respectively
3.11
printed element
construction 3D printed component, whether constructed on-site (in-situ) or off-site, that gets
incorporated into a building or structure, as a complete infrastructure component
EXAMPLE Walls, columns, beams, etc.
3.12
printability
ability of the material to be easily delivered to the print head, processed by the print head, e.g.
extrudability (3.13), and meet consistent layer shape stability, buildability (3.14) requirements, and if
applicable pumpability (3.15)
3.13
extrudability
ability of the material to smoothly be ejected through the printing nozzle without inducing any blockage
of the conduits or significant damage to the material quality
3.14
buildability
ability of a print to preserve vertical and lateral stability under increasing loads coming from
superposed/subsequent layers with controlled deformation
3.15
pumpability
material paste criterion that is related to the concrete extrusion and workability, as it is important to
ensure that the materials have a continuous easy-flowing behaviour from the source to the printing
material deposition device/nozzle
Note 1 to entry: Pumpability ensures the materials can be pumped easily and continuously without creating
clogging issues inside the delivery system.
4 Constructability, assessment and review
4.1 General
The AC element requirements shall be specified and verified before the data preparation. The results
shall be transferred in a definite sequence with associated production specifications including
specific requirements in respect to the quality control (for load and non-load bearing elements). It is
recommended that any asset monitoring and/or management be based on locally applicable standards/
codes/regulations which could be based on numerical verification analysis.
If the production request is incomplete (for example missing technical drawing) or an initial
commissioning is associated with restrictions, the customer shall be notified to correct the problem.
Figure 1 shows the individual steps for checking the feasibility and qualification phase as a pre-requisite
for the serial production with AC.
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
Figure 1 — Steps involved in verification of AC element requirement
4.2 AC feasibility assessment
AC feasibility, including AC element requirements, shall be evaluated by suitable personnel (e.g.
technology experts or instructed persons, obtaining relevant permits from local authorities, classified
and registered as required by authorities having jurisdiction and proven to have designed and
accomplished successfully a specific number of 3D printed elements (e.g. 5) with the same construction
process and comparable dimensions and complexity).
The necessary production competence is only available in the direct AC environment. It is important
to include all element requirements in the feasibility check. The evaluation shall include the following
steps:
a) Design check: the process-relevant design directives should be consulted to evaluate the design’s
AC feasibility and comply with national, regional, and local codes. In addition, process-relevant AC
restrictions such as minimum wall thicknesses and reinforcement requirements shall also be taken
into consideration.
b) Environmental check: for the environmental dimension, material selection and design stages are
regarded as crucial to the sustainability performance of a built element throughout its life cycle.
It is important to perform a sustainability assessment of the building material or the building
product itself, in accordance with ISO 21930 and ISO 14001 following a cradle-to-grave approach
of a life cycle analysis (LCA) and track macro-indicators, for both internal use and to elaborate
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) of building products after validation. Environmental
checks/studies shall be done in compliance with all national, regional, and local requirements.
Core indicators to use are:
— global warming potential (CO equivalent emissions);
— greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that have a potential impact on the climate.
Other relevant indicators can be:
— Pollution potential: freshwater resources that have a potential impact on the depletion of
freshwater resources (in case no metallic material will be used in the paste mix design, using
other than freshwater, such as sea water, or treated water may be envisaged in the process,
based on the usage of the printed element, and its interaction/exposure to end users).
— Fossil fuel depletion potential (oil equivalent): consumption of non-renewable raw materials
and non-renewable primary energy.
— Ozone depletion potential (CFC-11 to air): release of gases that have a potential impact on the
stratospheric ozone layer.
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
— Amount of waste generated by type: total volume of non-hazardous and hazardous wastes that
has a potential impact on the generation of waste for disposal
— Acidification potential (SO to air) - potential impact on the acidification of land and water
resources.
— Freshwater eutrophication potential (P to freshwater): potential impact on the eutrophication
of water bodies.
c) AC process: it is also necessary for qualified engineers to check whether the desired element, and
element properties to be attained, are AC feasible with the process parameters already qualified, or
whether adaptations are necessary to attain AC feasibility. AC specific process category risks also
need to be evaluated by qualified engineers to achieve dedicated component requirements. Refer to
Table A.1 for specific processes and materials.
d) Further processing: if a further (semi-)automated manufacturing step occurs, it is necessary
to check whether the design is appropriate for this, if auxiliaries cannot be used. If subtractive
or finishing processes are then carried out to attain the required manufacturing tolerances,
corresponding design details shall be provided as early as the data processing, if necessary.
e) Check of dimensions/tolerances: the tolerances specified in the design shall be attainable in the
selected AC process. Post-treatment shall be considered before the start of the AC process.
EXAMPLE 1 Any special considerations for reinforcement and/or MEP integration, starting, stopping, or
skipping in the AC process.
f) Material/material properties: AC feasibility shall be considered beyond the selected technology,
depending on the material, material mix design, and over the entire AC process. The specified
material properties shall be incorporated here. Local standard tolerances for fire resistance, load/
compressive strength, tension, shrinkage, creep, and resistance to environmental effects such as
moisture, cyclic freezing, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation etc. should be followed.
EXAMPLE 2 Materials that exhibit different AC constraints.
An individual element evaluation shall then be conducted to define the necessary measures for quality
assurance. Based on the method for quality assurance already implemented as well as the risk analysis
for the relevant application, it is necessary to check whether separate measures for element-related
quality control are necessary (see 7.4).
4.3 Validation plan
The requirements of the direct manufacturing environment include the qualification plan for the series
element. The prerequisite is qualification of the material for a definite AC process. A qualification plan
shall be formulated for the elements and associated test methods according to the relevant work and/or
procedural steps as specified by the customer. The element(s) production is validated in a stage process
(see A.2 or ISO/ASTM 52901). Each phase is successfully completed upon signing by suitable personnel.
The methodical recording of the element requirements can be derived, for example, from
ISO/ASTM 52901. This makes it possible to derive which validations can be necessary beyond this
document.
5 Infrastructure of the AC cell
The following requirements are relevant for the infrastructure of the AC cell:
a) Equipment: Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) checks and management should comply
with existing local and regional statutory on-site and off-site standards for all equipment. Some
examples are listed below:
— EN 12001;
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
— EN 12629-1;
— ISO 4413;
— ISO 4144;
— ISO 12100;
— ISO 13849-1;
— ISO 13849-2;
— ISO 13850;
— ISO 13854;
— ISO 13857;
— ISO 14118;
— ISO 14119;
— ISO 14120;
— EN 60204-1;
— ISO 10218-1;
— ISO 10218-2;
— EN 60204-1.
b) Safety at work: a safe working environment with consideration of the statutory regulations shall
be ensured. This includes personnel instruction concerning the occupational safety measures and
equipment.
The users of this document should refer to appropriate safety management guidance and local
legislation and regulation to gain a full understanding of specific requirements.
The following is a summary of some of the safety management aspects AC should consider.
1) Safety legislation holds operators to account for the protection of their employees, the public
and the environment in relation to their industrial activities. While legislation and regulations
vary in each country or region, the basic principles of safety management are common and
should be common practice for all AC companies.
2) Operators shall possess safety management arrangements that identify responsible and
accountable persons within their organization. The safety management arrangements will also
detail the processes in place to ensure that safety is achieved for all operations of the company
and considering all hazards that are associated with AC. Safety management arrangements
should be proportionate to risk and complexity of the operation.
3) The central aim of safety management is to identify all foreseeable hazards and reduce risks
to a level that is tolerable and as low as reasonably practicable or achievable. Risk control
measures are used to achieve this in various ways across the safety discipline.
4) As the operator of robotic AC equipment and associated machinery and materials, operator
shall consider and ensure the safety of all aspects of operation including, but not limited to:
— the printing location, factory or site-based;
— the machinery being used and interfaces between machinery;
— emergency and accident arrangements and response including first aid requirements;
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
— safety signage;
— safe handling and storage of materials;
— construction site safety requirements and PPE requirements;
— process warnings and cautions;
— installation and use of barriers and guards;
— adequate safety training and provision of adequate safety information;
— safety discipline and safety culture;
— duty of care for workers;
— reporting near misses;
— learning from experience;
— consideration of public safety;
— keeping auditable records for safety decisions.
c) System installation: the AC system shall be installed by qualified personnel (see 7.2). Evidence of
installed conditions shall be documented (e.g. service report, final acceptance report, reports on
modification to the system, designation of the machine type including version status of the software
components and, if applicable, version status of the hardware components, machine identification
number). All staff delivering the product to be deemed appropriately trained with maintained and
retained record as part of a quality management system (QMS) with the process steps recorded.
d) Maintenance: all maintenance activities shall be completed and documented.
The machine installation and maintenance refer to systems of the process control as well as all
devices relating to systems and parts [e.g. material storage, mixer, pump, UV system (if applicable)].
e) Production environment: system manufacturer specifications shall be adopted with respect to
ambient and installation conditions.
f) IT infrastructure: for an AC factory setup, ensure security of the server landscape, provision of
the IT hardware, safety and archiving systems, etc. (e.g. according to ISO/IEC 27001) as outlined in
the following non exhaustive list shall be followed:
— floor load capacity and evenness of the ground, absence of vibration;
— extensive availability, minimum distance to neighbouring systems and equipment;
— controlled or permissible temperature, humidity, light conditions, air particle components;—
cleanliness of the AC environment;
— logged installation conditions and qualification of the production system;
— logs covering all other quality-relevant influencing factors regarding the function of a system.
The AC management system ensures that the correct steps occur in the qualified sequence with the
corresponding parameters. This includes planning the machine capacity utilization and material
stock corresponding to a specified minimum level. A system for planning the bottlenecks shall be
demonstrated.
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
6 Qualification of the additive construction process
6.1 Quality-relevant process steps within the additive construction process
It is recommended that a quality management system (e.g. ISO 9001) is in place when the AC element
manufacturer applies this document. Additionally, this document can be used to establish a quality
management system specifically relevant to AC technology.
In order to ensure high quality within an AC cell, the complete process chain (see 6.2 to 6.7) of the
production process and personnel requirements (see 7.2) shall be considered.
The relevant areas of the process chain are shown in Figure 2. These comprise:
— Quality assurance: preventive measures that ensure the required element quality over the entire
process chain (see Annex B for a proposed approach for AC quality assurance);
— Data preparation: digital processing occurring before additive construction (see A.3);
— Material management: material flows occurring before and during the printing process (see B.3);
— System related pre-processing: manual activities occurring in the immediate environment of the
printing system and serving to initiate the controlling of the process (see A.3);
— Process guidance (build cycle): complete machine cycle in which elements are produced additively
(see A.3);
— Default post-processing: activities occurring in the environment of the production system and
performed downstream of the process control (see A.1);
— Element specific post-processing: activities on the element after the process guidance (see Annex A,
Annex B and Annex C).
Figure 2 — Quality assured process in AC on-site or off-site
The assurance of the element quality requires comprehensive specification of the production process
(Figure 2):
a) Quality-relevant characteristics as well as test methods and intervals for monitoring each
individual process outlined in Figure 1 should be detailed;
b) Work equipment and any applicable ambient conditions required for and during the printing
process shall be in place;
c) System-related maintenance and servicing activities; (see Table D.1 for specific process examples)
should be taken into account;
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
d) Qualification measures for determining relevant input variables (e.g. material properties) and
resultant output variables, which are derived from a combination of the previously specified
characteristics over the entire process should be defined;
e) Defining the measurement, geometric dimensioning, and tolerancing regarding AC usage shall be
specified by application specificity and/or based on user requirements (see Annex B).
6.2 Data preparation
Figure 3 — Data preparation steps
Data structure principles of ISO/ASTM 52950 shall be applied. The definitions of ISO/ASTM 52900:2021,
3.4 shall be followed.
If technically applicable, the following process steps from Figure 3 shall be specified and their testing
and documentation defined:
a) Data check: an inspection regarding error-free, process ability of the 3D data shall be completed.
If errors are found, a data repair shall be carried out with close collaboration and approval of the
engineering team especially if any geometric modification is required;
If applicable, documentation of the file format (e.g. STL, AMF) conversion (tessellation) parameters
is required.
b) Adjustment for element geometries: allowances for temporary support (e.g. overhangs) and
MEP integration if applicable. 3D data changes are allowed as they relate to element changes if all
adaptations are documented in comprehensible and verifiable form (this requires version control
of the modified data set), and proper approvals are sought and agreed upon prior to changes being
made.
Slice data generation/machine code (e.g. G-code): conversion into machine-specific slice data
with complete process parameters based on the approach and material.
In case of software updates, input and output data should be used to check that the generated data
corresponds to the referenced output data.
The parameters for the data conversion shall be specified and complied with in the corresponding
process description, under the consideration of the key quality assurance characteristics of the
particular AC process category used.
c) Simulation of additive construction process: virtual production run to predict printability and
print performance based on the geometry, material, and AC process categories/characteristics (see
Table D.1 for specific examples).
Furthermore, a mock-up for a complex part of the element to be 3D printed should be constructed to
demonstrate that the element is printable, and that the material is flowable, extrudable, buildable,
pumpable, and that the extruded material’s open time (the period of time in which the workability
is consistent within certain tolerances acceptable for the process) is all as designed, to achieve
required shape within allowable tolerances.
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
d) Data archiving: unique versioned archive of the production run (or for reference to as “as built/as
built digital model” drawings). Archiving duration as specified for the relevant application/sector.
6.3 Requirements for the material management
Figure 4 — Elements of material management
Special material handling considerations should be taken into account, as it is also necessary to define
the specification of essential parameters and, if applicable, associated test methods, which ensure the
suitability of a material and material mix design for the respective printing process. Follow local codes
and regulations under the authority having jurisdiction. Figure 4 depicts the elements of material
management.
Consideration should be made for any “supporting material” such as binder or glue products; for
material handling (storing and mixing) and delivering (pumping and printing). Furthermore, it should
be noted that printed material at the head/nozzle/extruder is different from material at the mixer/
material delivery area (see Table D.1 for specific process examples).
To ensure the required properties of the material, the following process steps shall be specified, and
their testing and documentation defined:
a) Transportation: should adhere to supplier recommendations;
b) Incoming quality control: labelling of incoming material with batch testing of raw material as
directed by the material supplier; (see Table D.1 for specific process examples)
c) Charge control: a traceable material and material mix design history shall be compiled,
documented, and saved;
d) Storage: suitable storage conditions (at least monitoring of moisture (as applicable) and
temperature) should follow suppliers’ recommendations. Consideration should also apply to on-site
ready-mix production and delivery systems (see Annex B);
e) Preparation for process guidance: if applicable, adaptation of the material composition for the
process control (see Annex C and Table D.1 for specific process examples);
f) Fresh properties in-process control/testing (automatic or manual)/monitoring: parameter
control, parameter tests (example, Flow and Slump tests), and probes, can be part of the quality
monitoring plan. Appropriate testing of materials and site ground conditions shall be carried out
with documentation retained to ensure traceability.
g) Management complying with local regulations: AC technology specific, AC material specific,
environmental aspects, etc.
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
6.4 System related pre-processing
Figure 5 — Elements of system-related process preparation
If technically applicable, the following process steps (see Figure 5) shall be specified, and their testing
and documentation defined:
a) System preparation: restoration of
...
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-marec-2024
Dodajalna izdelava v gradbeništvu - Kvalifikacija - Strukturni in infrastrukturni
elementi (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Additive Manufacturing for construction - Qualification principles - Structural and
infrastructure elements (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Additive Fertigung für das Bauwesen - Grundsätze der Qualifizierung - Struktur- und
Infrastrukturelemente (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Fabrication additive pour la construction - Principes de qualification - Eléments de
structure et d'infrastructure (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO/ASTM 52939:2023
ICS:
25.030 3D-tiskanje Additive manufacturing
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
EN ISO/ASTM 52939
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
December 2023
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 25.030
English Version
Additive Manufacturing for construction - Qualification
principles - Structural and infrastructure elements
(ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
Fabrication additive pour la construction - Principes de Additive Fertigung für das Bauwesen - Grundsätze der
qualification - Eléments de structure et d'infrastructure Qualifizierung - Struktur- und Infrastrukturelemente
(ISO/ASTM 52939:2023) (ISO/ASTM 52939:2023)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 1 December 2023.
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2023 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO/ASTM 52939:2023 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
European foreword
This document (EN ISO/ASTM 52939:2023) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 261
"Additive manufacturing" in collaboration with Technical Committee CEN/TC 438 “Additive
Manufacturing” the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by June 2024, and conflicting national standards shall be
withdrawn at the latest by June 2024.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards
body/national committee. A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the
United Kingdom.
Endorsement notice
The text of ISO/ASTM 52939:2023 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO/ASTM 52939:2023 without
any modification.
INTERNATIONAL ISO/ASTM
STANDARD 52939
First edition
2023-12
Additive manufacturing for
construction — Qualification
principles — Structural and
infrastructure elements
Fabrication additive pour la construction — Principes de
qualification — Éléments de structure et d'infrastructure
Reference number
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
© ISO/ASTM International 2023
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
© ISO/ASTM International 2023
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester. In the United States, such requests should be sent to ASTM International.
ISO copyright office ASTM International
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, USA
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11 Phone: +610 832 9634
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Email: copyright@iso.org Email: khooper@astm.org
Website: www.iso.org Website: www.astm.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Constructability, assessment and review. 3
4.1 General . 3
4.2 AC feasibility assessment . 4
4.3 Validation plan . 5
5 Infrastructure of the AC cell . 5
6 Qualification of the additive construction process. 8
6.1 Quality-relevant process steps within the additive construction process . 8
6.2 Data preparation . 9
6.3 Requirements for the material management . 10
6.4 System related pre-processing. 11
6.5 Built process guidance .12
6.6 System (default) post-processing . 13
6.7 Process qualification . 14
7 Quality assurance .15
7.1 General . 15
7.2 Personnel requirements . .15
7.3 Documentation and tracing of the process steps . 16
7.4 Quality controls . 17
7.5 Delivery and logistics . 18
Annex A (informative) Supplementary information .19
Annex B (informative) Examples for AC quality assurance .28
Annex C (informative) Examples for quality assurance steps in built process guidance .34
Annex D (informative) Examples for specific processes .36
Bibliography .38
iii
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use
of (a) patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed
patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received
notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are
cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent
database available at www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all
such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 261, Additive manufacturing, in
cooperation with ASTM Committee F42, Additive Manufacturing Technologies, on the basis of a
partnership agreement between ISO and ASTM International with the aim to create a common set of
ISO/ASTM standards on Additive Manufacturing and in collaboration with the European Committee for
Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee CEN/TC 438, Additive manufacturing, in accordance with
the Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
Introduction
The construction sector is increasingly facing challenges with respect to labour shortages, project delays,
increased lead times, excessive material use, large amounts of waste and adverse CO footprint impacts.
Furthermore, from a market perspective, the global construction demand is increasing especially as the
housing crisis continues and infrastructure projects (whether new or sustaining existing structures)
are on the increase. Additive construction (AC) also known as additive manufacturing for construction
(AMC) and 3D construction printing (3DCP) has the potential to address these issues directly.
Of late, AC has made great strides. Printed elements could potentially prove to be more durable,
more sustainable, more eco-friendly, cheaper (en masse), and faster to deliver than conventional
construction approaches. However, without AC standards, approval, certification, and risk mitigation
are unattainable.
The purpose of this document is to outline the requirements necessary as a basis for production and
delivery of high quality additively manufactured structures (residential or infrastructure) in the
construction sector.
Important steps of the AC process are specified. These steps will be controlled and monitored to
ensure high quality printed structures for on-site or off-site use. This document is not intended to be
technology- or material-specific, and therefore sub-processes are applicable depending on the approach
used. However, it should be noted that printed element(s) should be approved by a locally certified
engineer and adhere to both local and regional specifications and requirements.
v
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
Additive manufacturing for construction — Qualification
principles — Structural and infrastructure elements
1 Scope
This document specifies quality assurance requirements for additive construction (AC) concerning
building and construction projects in which additive manufacturing techniques are used for
construction. The requirements are independent of the material(s) and process category used.
This document does not apply to metals.
This document specifies the criteria for additive construction processes, quality-relevant
characteristics, and factors along AC system operations. It further specifies activities and sequences
within an AC cell (additive construction site) and project.
This document applies to all additive manufacturing technologies in building and construction (load
bearing and non-load bearing), structural and infrastructure building elements for residential and
commercial applications and follows an approach oriented to the process.
This document does not cover environmental, health and safety aspects that apply to printing facility
setup, material handling, operating of robotic equipment, and packing of equipment and/or elements for
shipping but material supplier guidelines, robotic solution operating guidelines, and local and regional
requirements are applicable.
This document does not cover design approvals, material properties characterization and testing.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/ASTM 52900, Additive manufacturing — General principles — Fundamentals and vocabulary
ISO/ASTM 52950, Additive manufacturing — General principles — Overview of data processing
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/ASTM 52900 and the
following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
additive manufacturing for construction
AMC
process to join materials to make structural and non-structural elements/components and systems
from 3D model data usually by depositing material layer upon layer as opposed to subtractive and
formative manufacturing methodologies
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
3.2
additive construction
AC
term to describe all relevant disciplines and knowledge for the construction segment using additive
manufacturing process categories
Note 1 to entry: The use of the technologies covers all relevant construction sectors, for example large scale real
estate projects, entire buildings and building elements, civil infrastructure, and disaster relief.
Note 2 to entry: AC describes all relevant knowledge disciplines, for example: architecture, engineering,
structural engineering, materials engineering, robot operator, project management, construction management,
facility management, etc.
Note 3 to entry: Other terms used interchangeably are: Digital Construction (DC), Construction 4.0, Advanced
Manufacturing in Construction (AMC), Construction 3D Printing (C3DP) and 3D Construction Printing (3DCP).
Note 4 to entry: Building materials include:
— cementitious variations such as concrete and mortar, polymer modified pastes,
— composite materials.
Note 5 to entry: Intrinsic to the current definition is a high degree of robotic automation, a reduced degree of
human intervention during the construction process, and minimal waste due to as-needed material delivery
systems.
Note 6 to entry: As of this writing in 2023, the field of AC is rapidly evolving, and novel materials and methods are
very likely to become included in this definition.
Note 7 to entry: AC is used on-site or off-site (e.g. modular factory-based production).
3.3
layer deposition
application of a single layer
3.4
AC cell
printing solution deployed on site for in-situ printing (includes material mixing and placement systems)
3.5
material deposition device
numerically controlled assembly, including mixing and delivery mechanisms for raw materials, binders,
and additives; places the mixture based on a digital simulation entered in the assembly’s electronic
programs, without the need for direct human intervention or for using moulds
3.6
physical production
physical totality of the build space, elements located on the build space, and production related support
structures and plant in the build space of the system
3.7
virtual production run
computer/digital simulation of the physical production (3.7) run (print file)
EXAMPLE Printing simulation.
3.8
dry production run
process of running the build program with no materials to verify the first layer toolpath and other
critical points of the program; and can be part of calibration process
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
3.9
construction process
digital and physical AC operations, from setup of the robot through completion of the final printed
element, including quality assurance testing and verification
3.10
mechanical, electrical and plumbing
MEP
building systems required for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; electrical power and
communication supply; and water supply and sewage removal, respectively
3.11
printed element
construction 3D printed component, whether constructed on-site (in-situ) or off-site, that gets
incorporated into a building or structure, as a complete infrastructure component
EXAMPLE Walls, columns, beams, etc.
3.12
printability
ability of the material to be easily delivered to the print head, processed by the print head, e.g.
extrudability (3.13), and meet consistent layer shape stability, buildability (3.14) requirements, and if
applicable pumpability (3.15)
3.13
extrudability
ability of the material to smoothly be ejected through the printing nozzle without inducing any blockage
of the conduits or significant damage to the material quality
3.14
buildability
ability of a print to preserve vertical and lateral stability under increasing loads coming from
superposed/subsequent layers with controlled deformation
3.15
pumpability
material paste criterion that is related to the concrete extrusion and workability, as it is important to
ensure that the materials have a continuous easy-flowing behaviour from the source to the printing
material deposition device/nozzle
Note 1 to entry: Pumpability ensures the materials can be pumped easily and continuously without creating
clogging issues inside the delivery system.
4 Constructability, assessment and review
4.1 General
The AC element requirements shall be specified and verified before the data preparation. The results
shall be transferred in a definite sequence with associated production specifications including
specific requirements in respect to the quality control (for load and non-load bearing elements). It is
recommended that any asset monitoring and/or management be based on locally applicable standards/
codes/regulations which could be based on numerical verification analysis.
If the production request is incomplete (for example missing technical drawing) or an initial
commissioning is associated with restrictions, the customer shall be notified to correct the problem.
Figure 1 shows the individual steps for checking the feasibility and qualification phase as a pre-requisite
for the serial production with AC.
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
Figure 1 — Steps involved in verification of AC element requirement
4.2 AC feasibility assessment
AC feasibility, including AC element requirements, shall be evaluated by suitable personnel (e.g.
technology experts or instructed persons, obtaining relevant permits from local authorities, classified
and registered as required by authorities having jurisdiction and proven to have designed and
accomplished successfully a specific number of 3D printed elements (e.g. 5) with the same construction
process and comparable dimensions and complexity).
The necessary production competence is only available in the direct AC environment. It is important
to include all element requirements in the feasibility check. The evaluation shall include the following
steps:
a) Design check: the process-relevant design directives should be consulted to evaluate the design’s
AC feasibility and comply with national, regional, and local codes. In addition, process-relevant AC
restrictions such as minimum wall thicknesses and reinforcement requirements shall also be taken
into consideration.
b) Environmental check: for the environmental dimension, material selection and design stages are
regarded as crucial to the sustainability performance of a built element throughout its life cycle.
It is important to perform a sustainability assessment of the building material or the building
product itself, in accordance with ISO 21930 and ISO 14001 following a cradle-to-grave approach
of a life cycle analysis (LCA) and track macro-indicators, for both internal use and to elaborate
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) of building products after validation. Environmental
checks/studies shall be done in compliance with all national, regional, and local requirements.
Core indicators to use are:
— global warming potential (CO equivalent emissions);
— greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that have a potential impact on the climate.
Other relevant indicators can be:
— Pollution potential: freshwater resources that have a potential impact on the depletion of
freshwater resources (in case no metallic material will be used in the paste mix design, using
other than freshwater, such as sea water, or treated water may be envisaged in the process,
based on the usage of the printed element, and its interaction/exposure to end users).
— Fossil fuel depletion potential (oil equivalent): consumption of non-renewable raw materials
and non-renewable primary energy.
— Ozone depletion potential (CFC-11 to air): release of gases that have a potential impact on the
stratospheric ozone layer.
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
— Amount of waste generated by type: total volume of non-hazardous and hazardous wastes that
has a potential impact on the generation of waste for disposal
— Acidification potential (SO to air) - potential impact on the acidification of land and water
resources.
— Freshwater eutrophication potential (P to freshwater): potential impact on the eutrophication
of water bodies.
c) AC process: it is also necessary for qualified engineers to check whether the desired element, and
element properties to be attained, are AC feasible with the process parameters already qualified, or
whether adaptations are necessary to attain AC feasibility. AC specific process category risks also
need to be evaluated by qualified engineers to achieve dedicated component requirements. Refer to
Table A.1 for specific processes and materials.
d) Further processing: if a further (semi-)automated manufacturing step occurs, it is necessary
to check whether the design is appropriate for this, if auxiliaries cannot be used. If subtractive
or finishing processes are then carried out to attain the required manufacturing tolerances,
corresponding design details shall be provided as early as the data processing, if necessary.
e) Check of dimensions/tolerances: the tolerances specified in the design shall be attainable in the
selected AC process. Post-treatment shall be considered before the start of the AC process.
EXAMPLE 1 Any special considerations for reinforcement and/or MEP integration, starting, stopping, or
skipping in the AC process.
f) Material/material properties: AC feasibility shall be considered beyond the selected technology,
depending on the material, material mix design, and over the entire AC process. The specified
material properties shall be incorporated here. Local standard tolerances for fire resistance, load/
compressive strength, tension, shrinkage, creep, and resistance to environmental effects such as
moisture, cyclic freezing, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation etc. should be followed.
EXAMPLE 2 Materials that exhibit different AC constraints.
An individual element evaluation shall then be conducted to define the necessary measures for quality
assurance. Based on the method for quality assurance already implemented as well as the risk analysis
for the relevant application, it is necessary to check whether separate measures for element-related
quality control are necessary (see 7.4).
4.3 Validation plan
The requirements of the direct manufacturing environment include the qualification plan for the series
element. The prerequisite is qualification of the material for a definite AC process. A qualification plan
shall be formulated for the elements and associated test methods according to the relevant work and/or
procedural steps as specified by the customer. The element(s) production is validated in a stage process
(see A.2 or ISO/ASTM 52901). Each phase is successfully completed upon signing by suitable personnel.
The methodical recording of the element requirements can be derived, for example, from
ISO/ASTM 52901. This makes it possible to derive which validations can be necessary beyond this
document.
5 Infrastructure of the AC cell
The following requirements are relevant for the infrastructure of the AC cell:
a) Equipment: Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) checks and management should comply
with existing local and regional statutory on-site and off-site standards for all equipment. Some
examples are listed below:
— EN 12001;
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
— EN 12629-1;
— ISO 4413;
— ISO 4144;
— ISO 12100;
— ISO 13849-1;
— ISO 13849-2;
— ISO 13850;
— ISO 13854;
— ISO 13857;
— ISO 14118;
— ISO 14119;
— ISO 14120;
— EN 60204-1;
— ISO 10218-1;
— ISO 10218-2;
— EN 60204-1.
b) Safety at work: a safe working environment with consideration of the statutory regulations shall
be ensured. This includes personnel instruction concerning the occupational safety measures and
equipment.
The users of this document should refer to appropriate safety management guidance and local
legislation and regulation to gain a full understanding of specific requirements.
The following is a summary of some of the safety management aspects AC should consider.
1) Safety legislation holds operators to account for the protection of their employees, the public
and the environment in relation to their industrial activities. While legislation and regulations
vary in each country or region, the basic principles of safety management are common and
should be common practice for all AC companies.
2) Operators shall possess safety management arrangements that identify responsible and
accountable persons within their organization. The safety management arrangements will also
detail the processes in place to ensure that safety is achieved for all operations of the company
and considering all hazards that are associated with AC. Safety management arrangements
should be proportionate to risk and complexity of the operation.
3) The central aim of safety management is to identify all foreseeable hazards and reduce risks
to a level that is tolerable and as low as reasonably practicable or achievable. Risk control
measures are used to achieve this in various ways across the safety discipline.
4) As the operator of robotic AC equipment and associated machinery and materials, operator
shall consider and ensure the safety of all aspects of operation including, but not limited to:
— the printing location, factory or site-based;
— the machinery being used and interfaces between machinery;
— emergency and accident arrangements and response including first aid requirements;
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ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
— safety signage;
— safe handling and storage of materials;
— construction site safety requirements and PPE requirements;
— process warnings and cautions;
— installation and use of barriers and guards;
— adequate safety training and provision of adequate safety information;
— safety discipline and safety culture;
— duty of care for workers;
— reporting near misses;
— learning from experience;
— consideration of public safety;
— keeping auditable records for safety decisions.
c) System installation: the AC system shall be installed by qualified personnel (see 7.2). Evidence of
installed conditions shall be documented (e.g. service report, final acceptance report, reports on
modification to the system, designation of the machine type including version status of the software
components and, if applicable, version status of the hardware components, machine identification
number). All staff delivering the product to be deemed appropriately trained with maintained and
retained record as part of a quality management system (QMS) with the process steps recorded.
d) Maintenance: all maintenance activities shall be completed and documented.
The machine installation and maintenance refer to systems of the process control as well as all
devices relating to systems and parts [e.g. material storage, mixer, pump, UV system (if applicable)].
e) Production environment: system manufacturer specifications shall be adopted with respect to
ambient and installation conditions.
f) IT infrastructure: for an AC factory setup, ensure security of the server landscape, provision of
the IT hardware, safety and archiving systems, etc. (e.g. according to ISO/IEC 27001) as outlined in
the following non exhaustive list shall be followed:
— floor load capacity and evenness of the ground, absence of vibration;
— extensive availability, minimum distance to neighbouring systems and equipment;
— controlled or permissible temperature, humidity, light conditions, air particle components;—
cleanliness of the AC environment;
— logged installation conditions and qualification of the production system;
— logs covering all other quality-relevant influencing factors regarding the function of a system.
The AC management system ensures that the correct steps occur in the qualified sequence with the
corresponding parameters. This includes planning the machine capacity utilization and material
stock corresponding to a specified minimum level. A system for planning the bottlenecks shall be
demonstrated.
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
6 Qualification of the additive construction process
6.1 Quality-relevant process steps within the additive construction process
It is recommended that a quality management system (e.g. ISO 9001) is in place when the AC element
manufacturer applies this document. Additionally, this document can be used to establish a quality
management system specifically relevant to AC technology.
In order to ensure high quality within an AC cell, the complete process chain (see 6.2 to 6.7) of the
production process and personnel requirements (see 7.2) shall be considered.
The relevant areas of the process chain are shown in Figure 2. These comprise:
— Quality assurance: preventive measures that ensure the required element quality over the entire
process chain (see Annex B for a proposed approach for AC quality assurance);
— Data preparation: digital processing occurring before additive construction (see A.3);
— Material management: material flows occurring before and during the printing process (see B.3);
— System related pre-processing: manual activities occurring in the immediate environment of the
printing system and serving to initiate the controlling of the process (see A.3);
— Process guidance (build cycle): complete machine cycle in which elements are produced additively
(see A.3);
— Default post-processing: activities occurring in the environment of the production system and
performed downstream of the process control (see A.1);
— Element specific post-processing: activities on the element after the process guidance (see Annex A,
Annex B and Annex C).
Figure 2 — Quality assured process in AC on-site or off-site
The assurance of the element quality requires comprehensive specification of the production process
(Figure 2):
a) Quality-relevant characteristics as well as test methods and intervals for monitoring each
individual process outlined in Figure 1 should be detailed;
b) Work equipment and any applicable ambient conditions required for and during the printing
process shall be in place;
c) System-related maintenance and servicing activities; (see Table D.1 for specific process examples)
should be taken into account;
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
d) Qualification measures for determining relevant input variables (e.g. material properties) and
resultant output variables, which are derived from a combination of the previously specified
characteristics over the entire process should be defined;
e) Defining the measurement, geometric dimensioning, and tolerancing regarding AC usage shall be
specified by application specificity and/or based on user requirements (see Annex B).
6.2 Data preparation
Figure 3 — Data preparation steps
Data structure principles of ISO/ASTM 52950 shall be applied. The definitions of ISO/ASTM 52900:2021,
3.4 shall be followed.
If technically applicable, the following process steps from Figure 3 shall be specified and their testing
and documentation defined:
a) Data check: an inspection regarding error-free, process ability of the 3D data shall be completed.
If errors are found, a data repair shall be carried out with close collaboration and approval of the
engineering team especially if any geometric modification is required;
If applicable, documentation of the file format (e.g. STL, AMF) conversion (tessellation) parameters
is required.
b) Adjustment for element geometries: allowances for temporary support (e.g. overhangs) and
MEP integration if applicable. 3D data changes are allowed as they relate to element changes if all
adaptations are documented in comprehensible and verifiable form (this requires version control
of the modified data set), and proper approvals are sought and agreed upon prior to changes being
made.
Slice data generation/machine code (e.g. G-code): conversion into machine-specific slice data
with complete process parameters based on the approach and material.
In case of software updates, input and output data should be used to check that the generated data
corresponds to the referenced output data.
The parameters for the data conversion shall be specified and complied with in the corresponding
process description, under the consideration of the key quality assurance characteristics of the
particular AC process category used.
c) Simulation of additive construction process: virtual production run to predict printability and
print performance based on the geometry, material, and AC process categories/characteristics (see
Table D.1 for specific examples).
Furthermore, a mock-up for a complex part of the element to be 3D printed should be constructed to
demonstrate that the element is printable, and that the material is flowable, extrudable, buildable,
pumpable, and that the extruded material’s open time (the period of time in which the workability
is consistent within certain tolerances acceptable for the process) is all as designed, to achieve
required shape within allowable tolerances.
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
d) Data archiving: unique versioned archive of the production run (or for reference to as “as built/as
built digital model” drawings). Archiving duration as specified for the relevant application/sector.
6.3 Requirements for the material management
Figure 4 — Elements of material management
Special material handling considerations should be taken into account, as it is also necessary to define
the specification of essential parameters and, if applicable, associated test methods, which ensure the
suitability of a material and material mix design for the respective printing process. Follow local codes
and regulations under the authority having jurisdiction. Figure 4 depicts the elements of material
management.
Consideration should be made for any “supporting material” such as binder or glue products; for
material handling (storing and mixing) and delivering (pumping and printing). Furthermore, it should
be noted that printed material at the head/nozzle/extruder is different from material at the mixer/
material delivery area (see Table D.1 for specific process examples).
To ensure the required properties of the material, the following process steps shall be specified, and
their testing and documentation defined:
a) Transportation: should adhere to supplier recommendations;
b) Incoming quality control: labelling of incoming material with batch testing of raw material as
directed by the material supplier; (see Table D.1 for specific process examples)
c) Charge control: a traceable material and material mix design history shall be compiled,
documented, and saved;
d) Storage: suitable storage conditions (at least monitoring of moisture (as applicable) and
temperature) should follow suppliers’ recommendations. Consideration should also apply to on-site
ready-mix production and delivery systems (see Annex B);
e) Preparation for process guidance: if applicable, adaptation of the material composition for the
process control (see Annex C and Table D.1 for specific process examples);
f) Fresh properties in-process control/testing (automatic or manual)/monitoring: parameter
control, parameter tests (example, Flow and Slump tests), and probes, can be part of the quality
monitoring plan. Appropriate testing of materials and site ground conditions shall be carried out
with documentation retained to ensure traceability.
g) Management complying with local regulations: AC technology specific, AC material specific,
environmental aspects, etc.
© ISO/ASTM International 2023 – All rights reserved
ISO/ASTM 52939:2023(E)
6.4 System related pre-processing
Figure 5 — Elements of system-related process preparation
If technically applicable, the following process steps (see Figure 5) shall be specified, and their testing
and documentation defined:
a) System preparation: restoration of th
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