Upcoming
Meetings & Events
Additive Manufacturing Committee to Meet in the UK
ASTM Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing Technologies will meet at the Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing International Conference at the University of Nottingham 9-10 July 2014. F42 meets twice a year, with approximately 70 attendees participating in technical meetings. The committee promotes knowledge of the additive manufacturing industry, helps stimulate research, and encourages the implementation of technology through standards development. Find meeting information and register here.
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Committee on Radiation Processing UK Workshop
ASTM Committee E61 on Radiation Processing will hold the Eighth International Workshop on Dosimetry for Radiation Processing at Keble College, Oxford University, Oxford, UK, 3-7 August 2014. E61 standards, many of which are jointly labeled as ISO standards, will form the basis for the discussions and hands-on exercises. The workshop will cover aspects of dosimetry for radiation processing that can be applied to the processing of food and agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, medical products, inks, packaging, polymers and radiation research. The objective is to improve the quality of dosimetry through a better understanding of dosimetry principles, factors influencing dosimeter performance, calibration techniques, dose mapping, and statistical process control. View workshop flyer or register now.
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General Aviation Manufacturers Association to Host ASTM Meeting in Brussels
The General Aviation Manufacturing Association (GAMA) will host the next meeting of ASTM Committee F44 on General Aviation in Brussels, Belgium, 16-18 September 2014. With active engagement from the European Aviation Safety Agency, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and numerous other regulatory authorities, the meeting will bring government and industry together to address issues related to design and construction, systems and performance, quality acceptance tests, and safety monitoring for general aviation aircraft. GAMA is an international trade association representing more than 80 of the world's leading manufacturers of general aviation airplanes and rotorcraft, engines, avionics, components and related services. Visit the F44 homepage for more.
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Packaging Committee to Meet in Ireland
ASTM Committee F02 on Flexible Barrier Packaging will meet in Belfast, Ireland, 23-24 September 2014. The committee develops standard terminology, test methods, practices and specifications for flexible barrier packaging. A recently approved F02 standard, ASTM F3004, Test Method for Evaluation of Seal Quality and Integrity Using Airborne Ultrasound, covers a relatively new packing technology. Airborne ultrasound offers a faster and more reliable assessment of package seal quality based on a quantitative measure. Common flexible barrier materials are papers, nonwovens, plastic films, and metal foils, used alone, treated or in various combinations. View meeting information and register now.
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ASTM Meets With National Representatives of European Industry
The ASTM Brussels office has been reaching out to representatives of European national industry federations in order to introduce ASTM activities to European companies. Meetings have been held with the British Industry Confederation (CBI) and the German Association of Mechanical Engineers (VDMA); others with MEDEF International of France and the Italian Confindustria are scheduled. ASTM counts more than 1,500 members from every member nation of the European Union. These members come from large multinational corporations, small- to medium-sized enterprises, universities and research institutes, testing laboratories, governments, and consumer and environmental organizations. ASTM members from Europe have increasingly taken on leadership roles by serving as technical committee officers and on the ASTM board of directors. As each European national market has its own needs, ASTM is happy to gather feedback in order to better adapt its services to all requests. The content of meetings typically includes general information about ASTM and standards and regulatory aspects in relations to the ongoing Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investments Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. Contact Sara Gobbi, ASTM director of EU affairs, to set up an informational meeting.
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Nuclear Technical Committee Supports International Symposium in France
The Fifteenth International Symposium on Reactor Dosimetry was held 18-23 May 2014, in Aix en Provence, France. Organized by the European Working Group on Reactor Dosimetry (EWGRD) and jointly sponsored by ASTM Committee E10 on Nuclear Technology and Applications, it was hosted by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)/Cadarache Center. This symposium is held approximately every three years to provide a forum for the interchange of state-of-the-art techniques, databases and standardization of radiation metrology.
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GSK Vaccines Presents at ASTM Biopharmaceuticals Workshop
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ASTM President Meets with European SME Representatives
 ASTM President James A. Thomas and other executives met with Luc Hendrickx, director of UEAPME (the European Association of Craft, Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises), and Sandrine Laurent, project manager, Small Business Europe (SBS) in April 2014 in Brussels. SBS is a nonprofit international association established with the support of the European Commission to represent European SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in the standards development process in Europe and internationally. SBS members are national and European sectoral and interprofessional associations from SMEs, totaling more than 12 million enterprises and nearly 55 million employees. The organizations exchanged views on their activities and concerns regarding the ongoing transatlantic trade negotiation, and discussed possible pathways of future cooperation. Nearly half of the technical experts who participate in ASTM standards development are from small- to medium-sized companies - including many from Europe. ASTM's committee structure ensures that all stakeholders have an equal voice and vote in the standards development process, with low costs and Web-based resources to facilitate international participation.
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DIN Sponsors a Standards Trade Briefing for European Parliament
In April 2014, ASTM's Sara Gobbi attended a DIN Parliamentary meeting on "Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) - How can technical standards support?" at the European Parliament. The purpose of the event was to discuss new pathways for bilateral standards development to reduce non-tariff trade barriers between the U.S. and Europe. In addition to DIN, panelists included representatives from the European Commission, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). Participants agreed that standards that were jointly developed by technical experts from the U.S. and EU would reduce non-tariff barriers to trade. Representatives from the Trans-Atlantic Business Council (TABC), which represents multinational companies in the U.S. and Europe, were in attendance, highlighting the fact that TTIP is not a way for the U.S. to impose its standardization system in Europe, but rather an opportunity to expand the existing system to be more flexible by giving companies the ability to choose from alternative standards that achieve closer EU-U.S. alignment. ASTM currently has members from Germany involved in standards development in areas such as pharmaceutical manufacturing, biobased plastics, additive manufacturing, and sustainable construction. Contact Sara Gobbi for more information on ASTM in Europe.
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ASTM Participates in European Policy Centre Dialogue on Sustainable Plastics Recycling
 Sara Gobbi joined European colleagues at the European Policy Centre (EPC) Policy Dialogue, "Toward toxic-free plastics and more sustainable recycling − Europe's pressing challenge," which was held in Brussels in February 2014. This Policy Dialogue explored how effective Europe was in recycling plastics; the extent of the threat posed by hazardous substances; and how the EU could support the development of a more sustainable model for recycling plastics. Tine Sundtoft, minister of climate and environment of Norway, introduced the debate, which was followed by a panel discussion and a Q&A session. Gobbi shared how stakeholders across the global recycling industry can benefit from a newly revised ASTM standard that provides valuable guidance to manage the end of life of plastic materials. ASTM D7611, Practice for Coding Plastic Manufactured Articles for Resin Identification, covers the Resin Identification Code (RIC) system for identifying the various types of plastic resin used in manufactured articles. This ASTM standard is particularly relevant right now, as the European Commission is preparing a review of their "waste policy" based on the results of last year's consultation on plastic waste. Read about ASTM's work in sustainable plastics recycling.
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European Biomanufacturing Summit Discusses ASTM Standards
In February 2014, Sara Gobbi presented
at the Disposable Solutions for Biomanufacturing Summit in Munich, Germany. The Summit is the only event in Europe that focuses entirely on the application of single-use technology within manufacturing of pharmaceutical products. Gobbi supported members from ASTM Committee E55 on Manufacture of Pharmaceutical Products and made a presentation on standards as a means of compliance to regulation. Representatives from multinational companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and Amgen proactively participate in ASTM standardization initiatives to shape global standards on single use technologies.
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Dr. Andreas Wolf of Germany Receives ASTM Cavanaugh Memorial Award
Andreas Wolf, Ph.D., senior scientist - high-performance building solutions, Dow Corning GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany, has been named an ASTM 2014 William T. Cavanaugh Memorial Award recipient. Wolf was honored for his leadership and contributions to the development and worldwide acceptance of standards for the performance and durability of glazing, weatherproofing and structural sealants. Wolf is a member of Committees C24 on Building Seals and Sealants, E06 on Performance of Buildings and G03 on Weathering and Durability. In his more than 35 years with the Dow Corning Corp., he has held various scientist and managerial positions, specializing in insulating glass sealants, structural glazing/structural bonding, durability of sealants and adhesives, and adhesion theory and measurement. [Full Story]
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