Additively Manufactured Part Certification

While additive manufacturing (AM) grows at a rapid pace, there is no standardised way of proving to manufacturers and regulators that AM products are safe.

AM techniques give companies flexibility to design innovative products and/or reduce production lead times, but there are still significant barriers to overcome to ensure  consistent quality and safety. To compound this issue, there are currently no global certification schemes that take into account AM-produced parts. 

This is why LRQA and industry partner TWI have introduced a broad-based, AM part certification service that spans all industries, from marine and class to oil and gas upstream and downstream.

We feel that manufacturers should be able to use AM to its full potential. 

That's why we have developed our Additive Manufacturing Product Certification service. We help manufacturers of AM parts prove to their customers and the market that their parts meet the required codes, standards, controls and best practices. We apply evolving international standards on AM, setting the requirements to prove equivalence with existing manufacturing methods, codes and standards, and apply our knowledge to help develop international standards on AM.

When we work with clients to certify their AM parts, we look at not only their designs but their material choice and supplier, as well as the AM facility they'll use. We do this through our framework, "Guidance notes for Additive Manufacturing certification"  We can also help train their personnel on the qualification and certification of AM-related facilities, materials, and components.

As AM is a relatively new technology for many industries, our certification has limitations related to process, technique, feedstock and application. Inspection requirements are specific to these criteria. Refer to our Guidance Notes for the framework to achieve certification, or contact us with details of your specific project, or questions you might have. Our expert team is here to help your organisation with the technical details.

Independence

For more than 250 years, LRQA has stood as an independent third-party provider of professional services for engineering and technology. We both write our own rules and contribute to global codes and standards. Our goal is to improve safety and increase the performance of processes and compliance for our clients in more than 75 countries worldwide. 

Technical expertise

LRQA has certified the first additively manufactured part for oil and gas, an innovative component that can only have been made through AM. In addition, we're involved in several joint industry projects with our industry partner, TWI. Each of LRQA's surveyors is trained and qualified in both traditional and additive manufacturing techniques.

Your business helps LRQA to help others

The profits we generate fund the LRQA Foundation, a charity which supports science and engineering-related research, education and public engagement around everything we do. All of this helps us stand by the purpose that drives us every single day: Working together for a safer world.