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Introduction

The Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Committee is dedicated to standards in new and emerging technologies in manufacturing.  It is made up of Subcommittees that are National Mirror Committees to the ISO and CEN committees developing standards in the area. 

As new technologies in manufacturing emerge standards subcommittees will be there to standardize the area. The members of the subcommittees represent industry, academia and Government.

Our Vision and Mission

Working together as 'Ireland Inc' we can influence the development of International Standards in new and emerging advanced manufacturing technologies.

Standards we are Responsible For

The Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Committee follows a number of International and European Standards committees.  In the Learn More section at the bottom of this page click on each subcommittee for more detailed information.

Sectoral Study of Standards in Manufacturing

On the 16th of December 2019 the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment published Ireland's Industry 4.0 Strategy 2020-2025. This Industry 4.0 strategy is a key output of Future Jobs Ireland, the government's new economic pathway to ensure that Ireland is well placed to prosper in a rapidly changing global economy.

The National Standards Authority of Ireland contributed to Ireland’s Industry 4.0 Strategy that is supporting the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector and its supply chain. This strategy sets out a clear vision and goals for Industry 4.0 in Ireland and the strategic actions that will help to achieve this. 

NSAI is supporting these strategic actions by raising awareness and understanding amongst manufacturing firms and their supply chains of the concept of Industry 4.0, the potential business benefits and opportunities to be derived from engaging in Industry 4.0 activities.

All these areas and more are addressed through its published Sectoral Study of Standards in Manufacturing which links standards as one of the key drivers for this innovation, making yesterday’s impossibilities tomorrow’s reality.

Our Latest News

updated [20231208]

The new EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 replaces the existing Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, which has been in force since 29 December 2009. It was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on 29 June 2023 and entered into force 20 days later, as it is a regulation it will be transposed directly into national law. 

The new text harmonises the essential health and safety requirements for machinery in the EU, while promoting the free movement of machinery and ensuring a high level of safety for workers and citizens. The new essential requirements set out in the Machinery Regulation becomes mandatory on 20 January 2027, when regulation comes into effect.

Background

The 2006 machinery directive was one of the main pieces of legislation governing the harmonisation of essential health and safety requirements for machinery at EU level. The Directive promotes the free movement of machinery within the single market and guarantees a high level of protection for EU workers and consumers.

This new regulation will continue to establish a legal framework for the CE marking and placing of safe machinery, on the European Union market. It sets out to address the risks related to emerging technologies. The regulation also guarantees legal certainty by clarifying its scope. For instance, it includes small vehicles used for personal transport and light electric vehicles such as scooters or bikes, since these are widely used and could potentially be dangerous to their users.

The New Machinery Regulation is structed according to the New Legislative Framework(NLF) which aims to improve the internal market for goods by strengthening market surveillance and boosting the quality of conformity assessment.

Voluntary harmonised standards will be a resource used by manufactures to ensure their products are in line with corresponding EU rules; and meet the essential requirements specified in the Machinery Regulation, which is known as ‘presumption of conformity'.

Current Steps

Next steps

Now that the text of the Machinery Regulation has been published there are two important steps that will follow:

  • Development of the Application Guide of the Machinery Regulation, in order to avoid diverging interpretations of the text
  • Update of the harmonised standards. Each standard will need the addition of an annex making the link between the requirements of the Regulation and the requirements of the standards.
  • The updated harmonised standards will need to be published in the OJEU, to become harmonised standards for the use of ‘presumption of conformity'
  • The creation of new harmonised standards, to fill any standardisation gaps at the request of the European Commission.

Resources

  • 'The Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 
  • Standardization Request for the Machinery Regulation, a smooth transition from the Directive to the Regulation’
    Watch the Webinar below:

 

updated [20221207] 

Industry 4.0 covers the whole value chain and life cycle of a product, from concept to production, as well as eventual retirement and recycling. Discover how IEC standards ensure safety, security, and interoperability in smart factories: International standards and conformity assessment for smart manufacturing | IEC

updated [20220914] 

CEN-CENELEC Workshop Agreement (CWA) Zero defect in digital manufacturing technology is open for public consultation. Zero defect manufacturing is almost exactly what it sounds like – ensuring manufacturing processes are performed with no defects or errors.  This has a few obvious advantages: costs are reduced, less material is wasted and the time to manufacture a finished product is reduced.  This all leads to greater production efficiency.

This is your chance to review and influence this workshop agreement. All interested parties are now invited to submit comments on the draft CWA to the Workshop secretary, Mr Yusuf Yilmaz, by 14 October 2022.

For the CWA document, commenting template and further information, see Draft CWA public consultation

updated [20211108] 

This document, Introduction to NSAI/TC 49/SC 2 & standardization for Additive Manufacturing, is aimed at assisting companies to embrace Additive Manufacturing as part of their Industry 4.0 transformation. The document provides an overview of the standardization landscape, as well as highlighting the potential benefits for both Climate Action and for the industry. In order to showcase the importance of standards for innovation a case study is employed, whereby the use of standards in the collaboration between the Irish Manufacturing Research and the Atlantic Prosthetic and Orthotic Services is outlined.

updated [20210908] 

The following Article from IEC gives a better understanding of the IEC 62443 series, which can potentially mitigate the affects and often prevent successful cyber-attacks, as IT standards may not be appropriate for OT( operational technology) environments: Understanding IEC 62443

Throughout 2019 and 2020 our National Mirror Committee to ISO/TC 261 was expanded, with Dr Noel Harrison being appointed as Chair. Due to COVID -19 the ISO/TC 261 2020 plenary was held online where Irish delegates were in attendance. Within ISO/TC 261 Joint Groups (JG) have been set up, under agreement between both ISO/TC 261 and ASTM F42. The Drafting of Standards is not being done in ISO WGs (where experts are nominated by their National Standards Body.), but in these JGs.  There are currently 79 of these JG with experts from ISO and ATSM drafting standards.

Committee Member Login

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Learn More

Standardization in the field of nanotechnologies that includes either or both of the following:

  1. Understanding and control of matter and processes at the nanoscale, typically, but not exclusively, below 100 nanometres in one or more dimensions where the onset of size-dependent phenomena usually enables novel applications,
  2. Utilizing the properties of nanoscale materials that differ from the properties of individual atoms, molecules, and bulk matter, to create improved materials, devices, and systems that exploit these new properties.

Specific tasks include developing standards for: terminology and nomenclature; metrology and instrumentation, including specifications for reference materials; test methodologies; modelling and simulations; and science-based health, safety, and environmental practices.

European and International committee mapping

Additive Manufacturing, also referred to as 3D Printing, is emerging as an emerging new manufacturing technology.  As a manufacturing process, it is currently being mainly developed in the aeronautical and medical device sectors but its uses are limitless.  AM is an enabling technology, capable of producing complex models in small lead times, for high value products.

Standardization in this area is in its infancy and is being pioneered by a collaboration between ASTM and the International Standards Organization, ISO.

NSAI is facilitating inclusion for Irish companies and third level institutes to be involved in the development of the first edition of these new ISO/ASTM International Standards through the National Mirror Committee for Additive Manufacturing NSAI/TC 49/SC 02.

Learn more by reading the NSAI information document on NSAI/TC 49/SC 02 & Standardization for Additive Manufacturing.

European and International committee mapping

Update

  • ISO/TC 261 Additive Manufacturing
    • ISO/TC 261/WG 1 - Terminology
    • ISO/TC 261/WG 2 - Methods, processes and materials
    • ISO/TC 261/WG 3 - Test methods
    • ISO/TC 261/WG 4 - Data and design
    • ISO/TC 261/WG 6 - Environment, health and safety
    • ISO/TC 261/JWG 10 - Joint ISO/TC 261 - ISO/TC 44/SC 14 WG: Additive manufacturing in aerospace applications
    • ISO/TC 261/JWG 11 - Joint ISO/TC 261 - ISO/TC 61/SC 9 WG: Additive manufacturing for plastics
  • CEN/TC 438 Additive Manufacturing
     


Industrial robots have been a part of manufacturing for many years and Standards in the area of robotics are well established.  With advancements in technology and ICT a dedicated International Standards Technical Committee was created to focus on robotics standards.

Collaborative Robots (Robots working side by side with humans) are ready to become part of the factory workforce but there exists a need to improve the Standards to complete their introduction to the workforce.

Service Robots and Personal Care Robots are getting prepared to become part of our society and the ISO standards are being developed to ensure a safe environment.

The National Mirror Committee for Robots, Cobots and Robotics, NSAI/TC 49/SC 03, is fully engaged with the International Standards Technical Committee, ISO/TC 299 in the revision of existing International Standards.

European and International committee mapping

  • ISO/TC 299 Robotics
    • ISO/TC 299/WG 3 - Industrial Safety
    • ISO/TC 299/WG 2 - Personal care robot safety
    • ISO/TC 299/WG 4 - Service robots
    • ISO/TC 299/WG 6 - Modularity for service robots

Contact for further information
Barry Cox, Standards Officer
Direct +353 1 807 3930
Email: barrypaul.cox@nsai.ie