The term "additive manufacturing" has also been used by the new ASTM committee in charge of researching standards and processes for additive manufacturing (AM) technologies. The origins of additive manufacturing (AM) may be traced back to a variety of methods established in the late 1980s. Unlike most traditional manufacturing processes, AM creates items by adding matter rather than subtracting it. It is now recognised as an innovative set of product development and production techniques. AM technologies are widely employed in product development, design, and manufacture. Concept modelling, design validation, prototype for fit and functional testing, patterns for castings, components for mould and die tooling, fixtures, guides and bespoke and short-run manufacturing are among the uses.

AM provides several advantages, including the ability to manufacture complicated geometries and customised goods on time. AM, when combined with computer-aided design (CAD) software, allows for the fabrication of new sorts of objects with distinct material characteristics. While additive manufacturing is often regarded as the "next industrial revolution," there are still substantial barriers to the effective commercialization of the technology. AMRG works on projects ranging from collaborative research to individual short-term application studies. The group also offers training and consulting services, rapid prototyping, tooling and production.