Agent Bottleneck Record: Qualification and Certification

Schema: addithive-agent-record/v1.1 · Record type: bottleneck · Valid as of: 2026-08-12

{
  "affected_steps": [
    "material qualification",
    "machine qualification",
    "process qualification",
    "part qualification",
    "supplier qualification",
    "production control"
  ],
  "bottleneck_layer": "qualification_and_certification",
  "canonical_url": "https://addithive.com/how-aerospace-additive-manufacturing-qualification-works/",
  "claims": [
    {
      "claim": "Addithive's qualification guide defines qualification as proof that material, machine, process, site and part design can repeatedly meet requirements.",
      "claim_type": "fact",
      "confidence": "high",
      "evidence": [
        "source:qualification-guide"
      ]
    },
    {
      "claim": "Qualification can be slower than printing innovation and can be part-specific rather than automatically transferable.",
      "claim_type": "analysis",
      "confidence": "high",
      "evidence": [
        "source:bottleneck-map",
        "source:qualification-guide"
      ]
    },
    {
      "claim": "Machine, material, site and parameter changes can require requalification or partial requalification.",
      "claim_type": "fact",
      "confidence": "high",
      "evidence": [
        "source:qualification-guide"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "failure_modes": [
    "insufficient material allowables",
    "process drift",
    "software or parameter changes",
    "inspection-method gaps",
    "part-specific evidence burden",
    "customer or regulator approval delay"
  ],
  "id": "addithive:bottleneck:qualification-certification",
  "last_verified": "2026-08-29",
  "name": "Qualification and Certification",
  "record_type": "bottleneck",
  "record_url": "https://addithive.com/2026/08/12/agent-bottleneck-qualification-certification/",
  "relationships": [
    {
      "from": "qualification",
      "relation": "converts",
      "to": "technical capability into production permission"
    },
    {
      "from": "configuration changes",
      "relation": "may_trigger",
      "to": "requalification"
    },
    {
      "from": "part criticality",
      "relation": "increases",
      "to": "evidence burden"
    }
  ],
  "research_use_only": true,
  "schema": "addithive-agent-record/v1.1",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "source:qualification-guide",
      "url": "https://addithive.com/aerospace-additive-manufacturing-qualification-guide/"
    },
    {
      "id": "source:bottleneck-map",
      "url": "https://addithive.com/additive-manufacturing-bottleneck-map/"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Qualification converts AM capability into permission to produce. It links material, machine, process, post-processing, inspection, part performance and production control into an accepted evidence package.",
  "valid_as_of": "2026-08-12",
  "why_it_matters": "A technically printable part cannot become a controlled production route until the relevant evidence package is accepted and maintained through change control."
}