ant engineering organization (CEO) 
responsible for development and implementation of the AM parts. The AMCP also defines how 
the QMS(s) is(are) integrated throughout the process. Key points of QMS integration are 
illustrated with a green triangle symbol in Figure 2. The AMCP and the QMS govern the 
engineering and quality assurance disciplines, respectively, from start to finish. 


The foundational process control requirements include methodologies for AM process 
qualification, control and operation of equipment, personnel training, and the characterization of 
AM material performance for material allowables, design values, and statistical process control 
(SPC) monitoring. For material process control, the key steps include establishing a Qualified 
Material Process (QMP) to ensure a consistent process definition, using a specification to control 
the raw material feedstock, evaluating the process capability, and, finally, documenting the 
process capability in a configuration-controlled QMP record for each AM machine. The scope 
contained in the QMP can scale depending on the classification of the parts (A, B, or C) the CEO 
wishes to produce using the QMP, resulting in the hierarchy of QMP-A, QMP-B, or QMP-C. It 
is important to note that a QMP record does not contain all aspects of the process development 
effort that led to the QMP. The QMP record contains the definition of the final process and 
supporting data.  

Qualified machines and trained operators are key foundational controls required by this NASA 
Technical Standard and are implemented through NASA-STD-6033, Additive Manufacturing 
Requirements for Equipment and Facility Control. Although represented independently in Figure 
2, they are essential to any successful AM operation; and plans are required to define how 
controls are implemented. An Equipment and Facility Control Plan (EFCP), the basic contents of 
which are covered in NASA-STD-6033, is developed and maintained by any facility producing 
AM parts. The EFCP sets and enforces the requirements for qualification, maintenance, and 
calibration activities on AM machines and associated equipment. Associated equipment may 
include, but is not limited to, sieve equipment, measuring or calibration instruments, cleaning 
tools, and other such apparatus that are influential to continued successful operation of the AM 
process. Equipment controls are only as good as the training of the operators. NASA-STD-6033 
defines acceptable personnel training protocols to be implemented and tracked through QMS 
records. 

The requirements governing the development of AM material properties and related guidance are 
specified herein and are controlled in the context of a Material Property Suite (MPS). The MPS 
concept includes three entities:  first, a material property database; second, a subset of that 
database used to derive and implement a Process Control Reference Distribution (PCRD) that 
provides SPC criteria for witness test evaluation; and third, a maintained set of material 
allowables and design values for part design. Integrating simple SPC concepts to monitor the 
process and substantiate the integrity of material allowables is a unique aspect of this NASA 
Technical Standard required to accommodate the process-sensitive nature of AM. 

Once the foundational process controls are established, the process of design and production of 
AM parts can occur. The flow of operations required for AM part production, shown in the lower 
half of Figure 2, is typical of most aerospace hardware production. Aspects of the process flow 
that are unique to AM are described as follows.  

When a part is identified as a candidate for AM production, the part design has to be made 
compatible with the AM process. This can be non-trivial, and this NASA Technical Standard 


does not prescribe AM design practice—it provides only high-level guidance to caution against 
common pitfalls. This NASA Technical Standard influences the design process through policies 
regarding fracture control, part qualification, and the use of the MPS for design properties 
specific to the AM material product form. 

Once a part design and assessment nears maturity, a classification system is used to assess the 
risk associated with the part. Parts are classified on their consequence of failure, structural 
demand, and AM risk, which accounts for part inspection feasibility and AM build sensitivities. 
The part classification is used to communicate part risk consistently and to set commensurate 
levels of control. A uniform, standardized classification system is important to enable NASA to 
maintain consistent requirements and mitigations for risk both within and across programs using 
AM parts. 

The requirement to develop a PPP is one aspect of this production flow that may be considered 
unique due to the AM process. The PPP documents the rationale for, and the implementation of, 
the production methodology, including such items as part build orientation, appropriate QMP, 
witness test requirements, inspection methods and limitations, and proof-testing methodology. 
The PPP is a deliverable product requiring NASA approval prior to proceeding into production; 
the PPP needs to convey succinctly the full design and production intent of the part. Once 
approved, the combination of drawing and PPP serve as the basis for establishing the complete 
engineering production controls.  

The PPP may specify the preproduction article process or delegate that to a standalone 
preproduction article plan. The preproduction article process is executed strictly and, once 
complete, leads to an Additive Manufacturing Readiness Review (AMRR) of the preproduction 
article report, the drawing, the QMP, and all preliminary engineering production controls used to 
obtain the preproduction article. If the AMRR is deemed successful, then the entire candidate 
process for part production, including drawings, electronic files, and production engineering 
steps and sequences become fixed, version controlled, and prohibited from changes not approved 
by the CEO. This fixed process state defines a Qualified Part Process (QPP), which is then used 
to control part production. 

A number of process verifications are required following, or concurrent with, the final stages of 
part production. These verifications form the evidence for part acceptance to the defined design 
state. At a minimum, these verifications typically include a review of available build logs and 
related content used to substantiate process control, dimensional inspections, nondestructive 
evaluations (NDEs) of surface and volumetric integrity, proof testing, and testing of witness 
specimens produced during the build process. Evaluation of witness specimens provides 
evidence of systemic process control through statistical comparison with defined performance 
metrics developed as part of the MPS. This NASA Technical Standard allows for witness testing 
schemes based on individual part acceptance or as an ongoing SPC methodology for continuous 
operations. Although the use of SPC part acceptance methods is commonplace, this may 
represent a new paradigm for many NASA hardware producers. 


Requirements and commentary using subjective terms (e.g., appropriate, worst-case, or fully 
accessible) appear occasionally in this NASA Technical Standard to purposefully allow 
flexibility in meeting the intent of the requirements in a manner commensurate with the needs 
and risk posture of the program or project. The CEO has the responsibility to remove the 
subjectivity by unambiguously describing in the AMCP how the intent of the requirement will be 
met. It is the responsibility of NASA to review all responses in the AMCP to determine their 
acceptability. 


Figure 1—Topical Outline for NASA-STD-6030 


Figure 2—Key Products and Processes for NASA-STD-6030 
Sub-QMP-A, B 
or C
Sub-QMP-A, B 
or C
Sub-QMP-A, B 
or C
AMCP
Foundational Process ControlsPart Production Controls
Service
QMS
MPS
Data
SPC CriteriaPCRD
Data
Design
Properties
General Requirements
AMRR
QPP
ProductionProduction 
Engineering 
Controls
PPPClassify 
Part
Design 
Process
Pre-Prod Article 
Plan
Pre-Prod Article 
Evaluation
Pre-Prod Article 
Report
Witness 
SPC, NDE, 
Acceptance 
Tests
MRB
Part
EFCP Qualification 
Maintenance 
Calibration
Training 
Plan
Training
Definition of
Material 
Process
Machine 2 Machine 3 Machine “n”
Qual. of 
Material 
Process 
Feedstock
Specification
AM Process
Post-AM 
Process
QMP-A, B or C
Machine 1
Registration
(A or B)
Qual. 
Units
Class B3 - C
Class A – B2
NASA-STD-6033


Figure 3—Symbol Legend for Key Products and Processes 


 Deliverables 

This NASA Technical Standard outlines the following discrete deliverables to be created by the 
CEO and/or part producer for delivery to NASA for review and, in most cases, approval: 

a. AMCP. 

b. Part-agnostic Material Usage Agreement (MUA) (section 6.3 of this NASA Technical 
Standard). 

c. Part-specific MUA (section 6.3 of this NASA Technical Standard). 

d. PPP (section 7 of this NASA Technical Standard). 

See section 6.5 of this NASA Technical Standard for exceptions to MUA requirements for Class 
B part production. 

 Applicable Technologies 

This NASA Technical Standard is applicable to mature AM materials and processing 
technologies that have demonstrated through test and statistical analysis to be capable of 
producing parts with predictable and repeatable material properties and performance capabilities. 
Table 1, Applicable Technologies and Materials Types, lists the applicable technologies and 
material types covered by this NASA Technical Standard. Table 1 also indicates which primary 
classification (i.e., A, B, or C, as described in section 4.3 of this NASA Technical Standard) can 
be applied to each process technology and material type combination. Closed-loop controls using 
active, adaptive, in situ feedback technologies (e.g., commonly used in electron beam powder 
bed fusion [EB-PBF]) that dynamically alter process parameters are not applicable technologies 
under this NASA Technical Standard. Use of AM technologies and materials not explicitly 
described in Table 1 requires documentation and approval in the AMCP and accompanying 
MUAs. Use of technologies and materials not explicitly described in Table 1 requires approval 
by the CEO and the responsible NASA Materials and Processes (M&P) organization. Note that 
there are part classification restrictions on the use of polymeric materials (see Table 1). 


Table 1—Applicable Technologies and Material Types 
    Class 
Category Technology Materials Form A B C 
Metals 
Laser Powder Bed 
Fusion (L-PBF) Metal Powder Yes Yes Yes 

Directed Energy 
Deposition (DED), 
Any Energy Source Metal Wire Yes Yes Yes 

DED, Any Energy 
Source   
Metal Blown 
Powder Yes Yes Yes 
Polymers L-PBF 
Thermoplastic 
Powder No Yes Yes 

Vat 
Photopolymerization 
Photopolymeric 
Thermoset Resin No No Yes 
  Material Extrusion 
Thermoplastic 
Filament  No No Yes 

 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS 

2.1 General 

2.1.1 The documents listed in this section contain provisions that constitute requirements of 
this NASA Technical Standard as cited in the text. 

2.1.2 The latest issuances of cited documents apply unless specific versions are designated. 

2.1.3 Non-use of a specifically designated version is approved by the delegated Technical 
Authority. 

2.1.4 Applicable documents may be accessed at https://standards.nasa.gov, obtained directly 
from the Standards Developing Body or other document distributors, or obtained from 
information provided or linked. 

2.1.5 References are provided in Appendix C. 

2.2 Government Documents 

NASA 


NPR 7120.5 NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management 
Requirements 


NPR 7120.8 NASA Research and Technology Program and Project 
Management Requirements 

NASA-STD-5001 Structural Design and Test Factors of Safety for Spaceflight 
Hardware 

NASA-STD-5009 Nondestructive Evaluation Requirements for Fracture Critical 
Metallic Components 

NASA-STD-5017 Design and Development Requirements for Mechanisms 

NASA-STD-5019 Fracture Control Requirements for Spaceflight Hardware 

NASA-STD-6016 Standard Materials and Processes Requirements for Spacecraft 

NASA-STD-6033 Additive Manufacturing Requirements for Equipment and 
Facility Control 

JSC 65828 Structural Design Requirements and Factors of Safety for 
Spaceflight Hardware 

2.3 Non-Government Documents 

ASTM International 


ASTM D638 Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics 
ASTM D695 Standard Test Method for Compressive Properties of Rigid 
Plastics 
ASTM D790 Standard Test Methods for Flexural Properties of Unreinforced 
and Reinforced Plastics and Electrical Insulating Materials 
ASTM D2990 Standard Test Methods for Tensile, Compressive, and Flexural 
Creep and Creep-Rupture of Plastics 
ASTM D5766/D5766M Standard Test Method for Open-Hole Tensile Strength of 
Polymer Matrix Composite 
ASTM D6484 Standard Test Method for Open-Hole Compressive Strength of 
Polymer Matrix Composite 
ASTM D6742 Standard Practice for Filled-Hole Tension and Compression 
Testing of Polymer Matrix Composite Laminates 


ASTM D7028 Standard Test Method for Glass Transition Temperature 
(DMA Tg) of Polymer Matrix Composites by Dynamic 
Mechanical Analysis (DMA) 

ASTM E8/E8M Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic 
Materials 
ASTM E21 Standard Test Methods for Elevated Temperature Tension 
Tests of Metallic Materials 
ASTM E399 Standard Test Method for Linear-Elastic Plane-Strain Fracture 
Toughness of Metallic 
ASTM E466 Standard Practice for Conducting Force Controlled Constant 
Amplitude Axial Fatigue Tests of Metallic Materials 
ASTM E606/E606M Standard Test Method for Strain-Controlled Fatigue Testing 
ASTM E1450 Standard Test Method for Tension Testing of Structural Alloys 
in Liquid Helium 

 ASTM E1820 Standard Test Method for Measurement of Fracture Toughness 
ASTM E2587 Standard Practice for Use of Control Charts in Statistical 
Process Control 
Battelle Memorial Institute 

MMPDS  Metallic Materials Properties Development and Standardization 
(MMPDS) 
Composite Materials Handbook 

CMH-17 Composites Materials Handbook-17 

SAE International 

SAE AMS2750 Pyrometry 

SAE AS9100 Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation, 
Space and Defense Organizations 
 SAE AS9120 Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation, 
Space, and Defense Distributors 


2.4 Order of Precedence 

2.4.1 The requirements and standard practices established in this NASA Technical Standard do 
not supersede or waive existing requirements and standard practices found in other Agency 
documentation, or in applicable laws and regulations unless a specific exemption has been 
obtained by the Office of the NASA Chief Engineer. 

2.4.2 Conflicts between this NASA Technical Standard and other requirements documents are 
resolved by the delegated Technical Authority. 

 ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS, SYMBOLS, AND DEFINITIONS 

3.1 Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Symbols 

≥ Greater than or equal to 
≤ Less than or equal to 
> Greater than 
< Less than 
% Percent 
µm Micrometer 
A/N As Needed 
A/R As Required 
A/S Acceptance as Specified 
A2LA American Association for Laboratory Accreditation 
AM Additive Manufacturing/Additively Manufactured 
AMCP Additive Manufacturing Control Plan 
AMR Additive Manufacturing Requirement 
AMRR Additive Manufacturing Readiness Review 
AR Aircraft Registration 
CAD Computer-Aided Design 
CC Control Chart 
CEO Cognizant Engineering Organization 
CFD computational fluid dynamics 
CH Cryptographic Hash 
cm Centimeter(s) 
CNC Computerized Numerical Control 
CoC Certificate of Conformance 
Comp Comparative 
CoV Coefficient of Variation 
DED Directed Energy Deposition 
DMA Dynamic Mechanical Analysis 
DOE Design of Experiment 
DOT Department of Transportation 
DPD Digital Product Definition 


DV Design Value 
EB-PBF Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion 
EFCP Equipment and Facility Control Plan 
EIDP End Item Data Package 
FAA Federal Aviation Administration 
FEA finite element analysis 
FFRDC Federally Funded Research and Development Center 
FH Full Height 
FMEA Failure Modes and Effects Analysis 
GSE Ground Support Equipment 
HCF High Cycle Fatigue 
HDT Heat Deflection Temperature 
HIP Hot Isostatic Pressing 
in Inch(es) 
ISS International Space Station 
JSC Johnson Space Center 
L-PBF Laser Powder Bed Fusion 
LCF Low Cycle Fatigue 
M&P Materials and Processes 
MIUL Material Identification and Usage List 
MMPDS Metallic Materials Properties Development and Standardization 
MPS Material Property Suite 
MRB Material Review Board 
MSFC Marshall Space Flight Center 
MUA Material Usage Agreement 
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
NDE Nondestructive Evaluation 
NPD NASA Policy Directive 
NPR NASA Procedural Requirement 
NRRS NASA Records Retention Schedules 
NURBS Non-uniform Rational Basis Spline 
Opt Optimization 
PBF Powder Bed Fusion 
PCRD Process Control Reference Distribution 
PEEK polyether ether ketone 
PPP Part Production Plan 
Prod Production 
PSD Particle Size Distribution 
QMP Qualified Material Process 
QMS Quality Management System 
QPP Qualified Part Process 
Qual Qualification 
RFCB Responsible Fracture Control Board 
SI Système Internationale or metric system of measurement 


SLA Stereolithography 
SPC Statistical Process Control 
SPEC Specification 
STD Standard 
STL Standard Tessellation Language 
Sub Subsequent 
Tg glass transition temperature 
UTS Ultimate Tensile Strength 
UV Ultraviolet 
 YS Yield Strength 

3.2 Definitions 

Additive Manufacturing (AM):  Process of joining materials to make parts from three-
dimensional