3MF, a consortium of AM hardware and software companies, working to refine, validate, and future-proof the 3MF additive manufacturing format, has announced that the format of the same name has been recognized as an ISO standard (ISO/IEC 25422:2025).
As a reminder, 3MF (3D Manufacturing Format) is an XML-based data format designed specifically for additive manufacturing. It addresses the shortcomings of older formats like STL by providing a richer, more comprehensive representation of 3D models.
Read more here: Q&A with Bob Zollo on the AMF & 3MF file formats for 3D printing
Through countless engineering hours, public draft iterations, and cross-industry pilot projects, the committee ensured that 3MF captures every critical detail required for high-fidelity additive manufacturing.
The new ISO designation not only validates that effort but also cements 3MF’s position as the definitive, free and open source, vendor-neutral standard for secure, interoperable AM data across the global manufacturing landscape.
“Adopting and scaling additive manufacturing to create real, impactful solutions in manufacturing means overcoming long-standing hurdles. Seeing 3MF become an official ISO/IEC standard is a proud moment for all of us who work towards that future. At Materialise, we’ve been committed to this journey from the start, and I’m proud of the role our team played in making this milestone possible,” Brigitte de Vet-Veithen, CEO of Materialise NV said.
The impact of this standardization on the manufacturing industry
Beyond mainstream manufacturing, the ISO-ratified 3MF standard is gaining traction in heavily regulated sectors where data integrity, traceability, and long-term accessibility are non-negotiable.
Government agencies and defense primes increasingly require additive-manufacturing vendors to deliver build files in a transparent, fully documented format; 3MF’s ability to embed rich metadata (material specs, process parameters, security classifications, revision history, and even encryption hooks) satisfies stringent ITAR, DFARS, and NATO STANAG documentation mandates while keeping the entire digital thread in a single container.
In medical device workflows, the format’s voxel, slicing, and support-structure extensions let engineers lock down patient-specific geometries and doctor-approved build settings, streamlining FDA submissions under ISO 13485 and MDR guidelines.
Likewise, aerospace OEMs and MRO providers value 3MF for its geometry fidelity and for the way it captures qualification data from powder-lot certificates to in-situ sensor logs, helping them meet AS9100 and NADCAP audit trails without resorting to brittle, proprietary toolchains.
Because the standard is maintained by a consortium of major software and hardware suppliers, end users in these mission-critical domains can count on backward compatibility and vendor neutrality for decades, which is essential when components may need to be reproduced or inspected far into the future.
In short, 3MF is emerging as the lingua franca not just for agile prototyping, but for any high-stakes environment where precision, compliance, and security intersect.
Duann Scott, Executive Director of the 3MF Consortium, commented, “As additive manufacturing matures, a universal data language is not just beneficial; it is essential for moving ideas cleanly from design to production. With 3MF now an ISO standard, we have that common language. By joining the Consortium, you can help shape the specification so it meets the needs of your industry today and evolves to support tomorrow’s innovations.”
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