Sep 21, 2017

Today at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) General Assembly in Berlin, ASTM International president Katharine Morgan championed the importance of global partnerships within the standards development community. 

During her panel, Morgan highlighted the collaborative activities in ASTM International’s committee on additive manufacturing technologies (F42), which now boasts more than 500 members and several groundbreaking new 3D printing standards.

She also cited leaders in that field who have praised the Partner Standards Developing Organization (PSDO) agreement, signed by ASTM International and ISO in 2011. The agreement has been hailed by industry as a leap forward, because it allows for the development of consistent standards from experts around the world. To learn more about 3D printing standards, see this new overview.

According to Morgan, the PSDO agreement reflects ASTM International’s commitment to “coherence,” one of the six principles of international standardization identified by the World Trade Organization’s Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade. 

During her remarks, Morgan also mentioned that ASTM International recently signed another PSDO with the International Electrotechnical Commission related to vacuum cleaner standards. 

Morgan also met with more than a dozen standards bodies from around the world, many of which are ASTM International Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) partners. The MOU program supports the use of ASTM International standards and encourages global participation in the continued development of new and revised standards. The program was launched in 2001 and now has 106 signatories. 


Media Inquiries: Dan Bergels, tel +1.610.832.9602; dbergels@astm.org  
    
Release #10399