The CMDS focuses specifically on identifying the key process-structure-property relationships necessary to develop methods for generating machine-independent material data. the CMDS will manage a shared database of high-spectrum data that will be used by consortium members to develop tools, such as those based on physical/probabilistic models, and the data analysis needed to support rapid certification of new AM applications, materials and technologies, as well as real-time quality assurance to scale up additive manufacturing production.

With guidance from industry members and through coordination with key regulatory and other government agencies, CMDS will annually select material and application specific properties of interest (e.g. static, cyclic, thermal, corrosion) to publish projects and execute projects that ultimately support the development of standards and datasets. Research results and experience will inform the development of new AM standards and specifications through relevant ASTM committees (e.g. F42) to drive consistency across the industry, creating material specifications with properties and improved structural requirements based on robust datasets.

Alliance members will collaborate on the standardisation of data generation requirements for additive manufacturing materials and will create and manage shared ‘reference’ datasets to accelerate certification and increased adoption of additive manufacturing technologies. The consortium consists of 21 founding members including: Accurate Brazing, AddUp (part of Michelin), ASTM International, Auburn University, BeamIT/3T-AM, Boeing, Desktop Metal, Element Materials Technology, EOS, Edison Welding Institute (EWI), Fraunhofer Fraunhofer IAPT, Gasbarre Heat Treatment Systems, GE Additive Manufacturing, GKN Additive Manufacturing, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, Hewlett-Packard, MTC, Morf3D, NASA, Raytheon, Sigma Labs