| Abstract Scope |
The U.S. Air Force faces significant challenges with the qualification and certification of new materials and processes, particularly in additive manufacturing (AM). While AM is a powerful tool that can help overcome issues like spare parts shortages and long lead times—some of which can take years to obtain—the qual+cert process is a major hurdle. The current "point qualification" process is slow and expensive, hindering the adoption of AM. This method requires re-qualifying a part every time there's a process or machine change, which goes against the agility and speed that are key benefits of AM. To address this issue the Air Force is focused on decoupling the "material qualification" process that focuses on characterizing manufacturing process quality from the “part certification” process that demonstrates the delivered material can meet specific application needs. The recently issued Flight Systems Bulletin entitled “EN-FSB-25-01 Preliminary Qualification Data Requirements for Metallic Additive Manufacturing," outlines the Air Force's strategic approach to accelerate the qualification and certification of new additive manufacturing (AM) processes. This bulletin establishes a standardized set of data requirements for preliminary qualification, aiming to streamline the initial screening of new AM processes, materials, and vendors. By defining a minimum level of data necessary to assess material stability, producibility, and predictability, the Air Force intends to more efficiently evaluate the suitability of AM processes for aerospace systems and determine the value of further investment. This approach shifts from the slow and costly "Point Qualification" model to a more agile "Part Family Qualification," ultimately enabling faster adoption of AM technologies and reducing the time and expense associated with full material qualification. |