Review of Additive Manufacturing Program Offerings in the United States

Producing parts with additive manufacturing (AM) requires an understanding of the entire AM workflow to ensure that parts can be successfully qualified and certified for end-use. Based on this workflow, AM training and educational needs can be identified and compared based on offerings that are now available through universities, professional societies, and standards development organizations. An analysis of the degrees, programs, and certifications offered by organizations in the United States reveals a plethora of courses on AM processes, materials, and design for AM, with relatively few courses on the economics, qualification, and broader industrialization of AM. This gives rise to a disparity of knowledge about what is feasible and could be made with AM versus what is viable and should be made with AM. The implications of these findings along with metrics for assessing the quality of AM education and training are provided, and an AM Readiness Scale is offered to help companies track their progress in four areas – materials, machines, digital, and people – as they begin their AM journey.