Overview
ISO/ASTM 52911-1:2019 - Additive manufacturing - Design - Part 1: Laser-based powder bed fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M) - specifies features of metal laser powder bed fusion and provides detailed design recommendations and a state-of-the-art review of PBF design practice. The document consolidates process knowledge (shared Clauses 1–5) and extends the scope of ISO/ASTM 52910 to address process-specific aspects of PBF-LB/M, helping designers and manufacturers realize the benefits of AM while recognizing its limitations.
Key topics and technical requirements
The standard covers practical technical topics essential for reliable PBF-LB/M part design:
- Process characteristics: typical part sizes, economic/time efficiency, and process benefits/limitations.
- Feature constraints: islands, overhangs, stair-step effect, and implications for geometry and orientation.
- Support structures: design, placement, and removal considerations specific to powder bed fusion.
- Build orientation & arrangement: part positioning, powder spreading, and strategies to minimize defects and post‑processing.
- Thermal effects: curl effect (thermal/residual-stress-induced warping), distortion control and mitigation.
- Material & structural characteristics: guidance on material behaviour and anisotropy in AM parts.
- Surface quality & tolerances: surface roughness, dimensional/form/positional accuracy, and data-quality requirements.
- Post-production finishing: surface finishing, removal of powder and supports, heat treatment and tolerance adjustment.
- Design details: recommendations for cavities, gaps, wall thicknesses, holes and channels, and integrated markings.
- Examples & case studies: exemplar applications and design solutions from industry contributors.
Applications
ISO/ASTM 52911-1 is directly applicable to the design of metal components produced by laser powder bed fusion. Typical application areas include:
- Functional prototypes and complex single‑piece geometries
- Lightweight lattice and topology-optimized structures
- Components requiring internal channels, conformal cooling, or integrated features
- Parts where reduced assembly or novel functionality is targeted
Using the guidance helps reduce rework, improve first‑build success, and optimize designs for manufacturability and post‑processing.
Who should use this standard
- Design and production engineers specifying or designing PBF-LB/M parts
- Additive manufacturing engineers and process specialists
- R&D teams developing AM-enabled designs
- Quality, qualification and standards professionals implementing AM best practice
Related standards
- ISO/ASTM 52900 - Additive manufacturing - Fundamentals and vocabulary
- ISO/ASTM 52910 - Design guidelines for additive manufacturing (extended by this document)
- Other parts of the ISO 52911 series (PBF of polymers and electron-beam PBF of metals) are complementary.
To obtain the full standard and normative details, purchase from the ISO or ASTM websites.