AFTE Store - Identification of Toolmarks Present on Additive Manufactured Components

Additive manufacturing, commonly referred to as “three-dimensional (3D) printing,” is defined by ASTM International as the “process of joining materials to make parts from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing and formative manufacturing methodologies”. Toolmarks present on multiple 3D printed components were identified to be produced by the same nozzle. The identification of these toolmarks serve as a “proof of concept” that toolmarks can be produced by a 3D printer nozzle and that the toolmarks can be reproducible.