In response to the growing use of additive manufacturing (AM) in aviation, the European Union Aviation Safety (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have been jointly organising annual workshops focused on the qualification and certification of AM parts since 2015. These workshops serve as a collaborative platform for government agencies, industry, standardisation bodies, and academia to share knowledge, align on key technical challenges, and support regulatory harmonisation.
The 2025 edition of the Joint EASA-FAA AM Workshop will take place in Cologne, Germany, and continue the tradition of alternating hosts between EASA and FAA. The event will feature three days of open sessions, technical presentations, and panel discussions. In addition, dedicated working group (WG) breakout sessions will offer deeper engagement on critical topics.
Working Groups
- WG1: Qualification of AM Parts of ‘No Criticality’ or ‘Low Criticality’
- WG2: Fatigue and Damage Tolerance / Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) for Metal AM
- WG3: In-Situ Process Monitoring for Quality Assurance of Metal AM Parts
WG1 focuses on the qualification of metallic and non-metallic additive manufactured (AM) parts of no criticality or low criticality, including AM repairs, across various aircraft systems (airframe, systems, cabin, propulsion). It targets decision-makers beyond the type certificate (TC) holder, including design organisation approval (DOA) holders, MROs, and regulators. The group has been heavily engaged with the revision of EASA Certification Memorandum CM-S-008.
Please note that WG1 is paused for this workshop. The working group will resume its activities once the revised CM-S-008 is published. In the meantime, WG1 members are encouraged to join WG2 or WG3 based on their individual interests and expertise.
WG2 addresses the fatigue and damage tolerance (F&DT) and non-destructive inspection (NDI) challenges for metal AM parts. Their work highlights the need for tailored F&DT methodologies for AM, especially improved handling of anomaly statistics, strategies for uninspectable areas, and the integration of process monitoring. The group is currently developing a technical white paper summarising their findings.
The WG 2 activities will be supported by the recently formed ASTM E-08.01.03 Task Group on fatigue and fracture, named “F&DT and NDI Considerations for Metal AM Components in Aerospace”.
WG3 is focusing on the development of in-situ process monitoring (ISPM) for quality assurance of metal AM parts. The group is progressing the work on ARP7068, a guidance document on the use of ISPM, which complements earlier work on ARP7065. WG3 is also discussing industry challenges in using ISPM, including applications and use cases, barriers to data sharing, and reliability requirements. Their roadmap includes the industrial implementation and standardisation of ISPM, with the aim of enabling ISPM to replace or supplement conventional inspections for critical AM parts.
Presentation materials and past workshop proceedings remain available at the Joint EASA-FAA Additive Manufacturing Workshop 2023 page.
