Qualified AM is part of WAAMathon #3 in Berlin, a conference dedicated to the industrialization of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM).
While WAAM is gaining traction across industries, its industrial adoption is still limited by one key factor:
the lack of consistent and scalable qualification and certification frameworks.
With the publication of ISO/ASTM 52920, followed by ISO/ASTM 52943‑2:2024 and the upcoming ISO/ASTM DIS 52954, an important step has been taken towards structuring industrial AM and WAAM production.
These standards directly address the key challenges for scaling:
- Reproducible qualification → addressed by ISO/ASTM 52920, defining general principles for qualification and quality management
- Audit-ready processes → addressed by ISO/ASTM DIS 52954‑1, focusing on data consistency, traceability, and auditability
- Scaling from pilots to production → requiring the combination of ISO/ASTM 52920, ISO/ASTM 52954, and ISO/ASTM 52943‑2:2024, linking qualification, digital traceability, and WAAM-specific process requirements
- In particular, ISO/ASTM 52943‑2:2024 defines requirements for additive manufacturing using directed energy deposition with wire and arc, including machine qualification, process requirements, and operator qualification.
However, in practice, WAAM is still governed by a combination of:
- AM standards (ISO/ASTM 529xx series)
- DED-specific requirements
- established welding and industry codes (e.g. ASME, API, DNV)
- This fragmentation makes reproducibility, certification, and scaling a key challenge for industrial deployment.
A central part of WAAMathon will therefore focus on exactly these gaps.
From standards to industrial reality
A key highlight of the agenda is the panel discussion:
“Standardization and Certification: What else is needed for scaling up?”
Gregor Reischle (Founder and CEO, Qualified AM) will join industry experts to address the questions that currently define the path from pilot to production:
- Where do existing standards and certification frameworks still fall short?
- How can system and process qualification be implemented in a consistent and reproducible way?
- What is the role of in-process monitoring and digital traceability?
- How can certification become predictable and scalable for real-world applications?
- The discussion targets the key barriers that still limit WAAM adoption at scale.
The goal is to define concrete next steps towards:
- robust qualification strategies
- traceable and reproducible processes
- audit-ready production environments
