Legal aspects for additive manufacturing
Additive manufacturing processes open up impressive technical possibilities, but also raise numerous legal issues. The guideline VDI 3405 Sheet 5.1 takes a close look at this topic along the entire manufacturing process chain and describes in detail which legal aspects need to be considered in the respective steps.
With around 130,000 members, the Association of German Engineers (VDI e.V.) forms a multidisciplinary network that helps to shape and influence pioneering developments. As an important German technical regulator, the association pools expertise and makes an important contribution to ensuring progress and prosperity. The association, which is also known internationally, is active throughout Germany, at regional and local level, in state associations and district associations. The foundation is formed by around 10,000 volunteer experts who contribute their knowledge and experience - including in regularly published guidelines.
One such guideline, VDI 3405 Sheet 5.1, has now also been published on the topic of "additive manufacturing" (e.g. 3D printing). The guideline is aimed at all stakeholders in additive manufacturing - from suppliers of additive manufacturing systems to design engineers and manufacturing service providers to lawyers who deal with the specific challenges of a digitalized manufacturing chain. It includes basic information on the sequence of process chains, quality management, as well as contractual and liability law specifics.
The guideline is also based on an explanatory presentation of the process chain and the associated data formats and types. This basic information and the detailed specialist knowledge promote cooperation between lawyers and technicians in equal measure: Lawyers gain the necessary technical understanding to assess the legal relevance of individual production steps, while technicians, planners, designers and service providers are enabled to gain an overview of the legal scope of their projects and to draft legally compliant contracts. Overall, the guideline is essential to meet the challenges of additive manufacturing.
The directive VDI 3405 Sheet 5.1 "Additive manufacturing processes - Legal aspects of the process chain" was published in March 2025 by the VDI Society for Production and Logistics (GPL) and is available for €153.50 from DIN Media available.
