Applied Technical Services tests samples made through additive manufacturing according to standards like ASTM e466 to determine their resistance to fatigue.
Additive manufacturing is growing into a practical, applicable means of production. As pioneers of this medium continue to refine the process and develop its capabilities, manufacturers increasingly employ it to make a variety of specialized products. In response to the expansion of this manufacturing tool, Applied Technical Services has expanded our testing scope to provide for the needs of the clients who rely on additive manufacturing.
Our mechanical testing lab can measure several performance properties like hardness and tensile strength using an array of methods. We determine how metallic samples created through additive manufacturing respond to material fatigue by testing it to the standard of ASTM E466.
Additive Manufacturing
Because of how the process works, products made using additive manufacturing tend to have different mechanical properties than those created through conventional methods of production. To illustrate — casting and forging are subtractive forms of manufacturing, meaning that base material is taken away from the entirety during the machining process to create the desired shape. Although these processes yield wasted metal, the resulting product has a homogeneous structure that resists forces like shear stress and tensile stress.
Additive manufacturing, alternatively, piles layers of material one on top of the other to eventually produce the form outlined in its CAD file. While this process allows for incredible precision and does not waste metal, the connections between the layers of the resulting product may be weaker than the solid matrix achieved in other forms of production. For this reason, components made through additive manufacturing often exhibit comparatively lower tensile and shear strengths than identical pieces composed of the same material that were made through other methods of manufacturing.
About ASTM E466
ATS’ mechanical testing lab performs fatigue testing to ASTM E466 on metallic materials created through additive manufacturing. The method calls for a sample of standard dimensions, which we test by exposing it to alternating compressive and tensile loads for a predetermined number of cycles — or, until the sample fractures. Our technicians use this procedure to analyze the sample material’s resistance to fatigue, or the tendency for microscopic cracks to form and grow over time as a material experiences repeated loading and unloading.
By performing this test repeatedly while controlling for variables like loading frequencies and applied stress, the lab can derive values like an S-N curve (magnitude of stress applied vs. number of cycles to failure) which can give technicians a strong indication of how the material would perform in service.
Testing Capabilities
The fatigue testing lab has a range of testers that can exert between 2 lbs and 55,000 lbs of load capacity. We also conduct fatigue testing to the following standards:
- ASTM E399
- ASTM E606
- ASTM E1290
- ASTM E1820
About Applied Technical Services
Since 1967, ATS has consistently delivered superior testing, inspection, and engineering consulting services. Throughout the five decades since our founding, we have grown our client base to include businesses around the world that operate within a variety of industries. Of the industries that benefit from additive manufacturing, those that could make best use of our ASTM E466 standard fatigue testing services are:
- Telecommunications
- Power Generation
- Nuclear
- Military
- Manufacturing
- Consumer Products
- Automotive
- Aerospace/Aviation
ATS and Quality Assurance
ATS strives to bring the highest quality to everything we do. For this reason, we place great emphasis on improving the customer experience. We achieve this by upholding the standards outlined in our ISO 9001:2015 registered quality management system. Our labs return clear and accurate analysis results within a shorter turnaround window because ATS observes these internationally recognized principles of quality control. By keeping our technicians focused on serving the customer, they remain accessible and responsive over the course of the testing process.
Contact ATS today if your company needs to test the fatigue strength of an additive manufactured material according to ASTM E466 — We take a closer look!
