By David Apkarian, president, TransTech Systems Inc. ASTM
International (originally known as the American Society for
Testing and Materials) was started in 1898 due to the poor
quality of steel manufacturing for the railroads. While progress
was slow, suppliers and industry soon realized that standard
material specifications were necessary in order to produce a
longer lasting rail. With this start other industries soon took
note and in 1902 cement, nonferrous metals and alloys, paint and
coatings were added. From there ASTM grew to what it is today.
ASTM encompasses approximately 12,000 standards ranging from
crayons, cement, snow skiing, advanced ceramics, biotechnology,
search and rescue, and terminology. The growth of ASTM has been
tremendous. It is truly arguable that ASTM has had the largest
impact on our day to day quality of life and an impact on
national, regional and international commerce. Check the ASTM
website - www.astm.org - for more infomation on its history.
What exactly is an ASTM standard? W