Additive Manufacturing Standards: New Progress Report Tracks Gaps in a Fast-Growing Industry

America Makes and ANSI publish the latest update on standards shaping safer, more consistent additive manufacturing

NEW YORK, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Additive manufacturing (AM) is changing how the world builds things — from heart valves to jet engine components. Standards are what allow this innovation to move from prototype to production safely and at scale. A new report released today takes stock of where those standards stand, and what's next.

America Makes and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) today published the April 2026 Gaps Progress Report from the Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC), which they jointly lead. The report provides new updates on 35 of the 141 standardization gaps identified in the AMSC's 2023 Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing, Version 3.0 — a foundational document developed with input from approximately 300 experts across federal agencies, national laboratories, standards developing organizations, industry, and academia.

Why this report matters

For AM to scale across industries — aerospace, medical devices, automotive, defense — manufacturers, regulators, and customers need confidence that parts produced by different companies, on different machines, will perform consistently and safely. Standards make that confidence possible.

The April 2026 report offers a current snapshot of standards development, research, and conformity assessment activities across the full AM lifecycle, including design, materials, process control, post-processing, qualification and certification, nondestructive evaluation, and data. No new gaps were identified in this update.

Rather than a consensus standard, the progress report functions as a living document. It will be updated and republished periodically as standards work advances — until the AMSC takes on the next version of its roadmap.

About the AMSC

The AMSC is a cross-sector coordinating body that accelerates the development of industry-wide additive manufacturing standards and specifications, working to align efforts across stakeholders so the AM industry can grow with confidence.

To receive future updates, suggest edits, or get involved in AMSC activities, indicate your interest when you download the report or email [email protected]. The next progress report is anticipated in September 2026. For more information, visit www.ansi.org/amsc.

About America Makes

America Makes is the nation's leading public-private partnership for additive manufacturing technology and education. America Makes members from industry, academia, government, workforce, and economic development organizations work together to accelerate the adoption of AM and the nation's global manufacturing competitiveness. Founded in 2012 as the Department of Defense's Manufacturing Innovation Institute for AM and first of the Manufacturing USA network, America Makes is based in Youngstown, Ohio, and managed by the not-for-profit National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM). Visit www.americamakes.us/ to learn more.

About ANSI

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations.

The Institute represents and serves the diverse interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information, visit www.ansi.org and access the latest news and content on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook. 

SOURCE American National Standards Institute