Standards can look like alphabet soup. Start with the business question: terminology, operator qualification, production-site quality, powder or finished-part testing.
ISO/ASTM 52900:2021
Fundamentals and vocabulary
In plain English: The shared dictionary for additive manufacturing. It defines the terms people use when talking about AM processes.
Why should I care? Use it when terminology is causing confusion between customers, suppliers or internal teams.
Do I need it? You may encounter it whenever a contract, procedure or technical document needs standardized AM language.
Who should confirm? Your customer, contract owner, quality lead or responsible regulatory authority.
Requirements for industrial AM processes and production sites
In plain English: A quality-focused framework for how an industrial additive-manufacturing production site manages AM-relevant processes and quality activities.
Why should I care? It matters when you are moving from experimenting with AM to running a controlled production operation.
Do I need it? Potentially, if your quality system, customer or production program points to it. It adds AM-specific requirements beyond a general quality-management system.
Who should confirm? Your customer, contract owner, quality lead or responsible regulatory authority.
Post-processing, inspection and testing of metal powder-bed parts
In plain English: Requirements for qualification, quality assurance, post-processing, inspection and testing of metal parts made by powder bed fusion.
Why should I care? Printing is only one stage. This standard focuses on the work used to establish finished-part properties and defined quality levels.
Do I need it? It is intended for part providers and customers of PBF metal parts. Whether your job must use it depends on the contract, application and quality requirements.
Who should confirm? Your customer, contract owner, quality lead or responsible regulatory authority.
Do not buy a standard because a website mentioned it. First identify the customer, contract, application or internal quality requirement that creates the need, then confirm the current edition with the responsible quality authority.