November 2025: Key Standards Updates for Modern Manufacturing Engineering

The landscape of manufacturing engineering is continuously evolving, driven by new international standards that address today’s technical, safety, and quality needs. In November 2025, five influential standards were published, covering the latest safety, material, and process requirements for modern manufacturing environments. This article—part 3 of 4 in the monthly series—delivers a comprehensive deep dive into these documents, explaining what changed, who needs to comply, and how your organization can benefit.

Stay informed to meet global market challenges, maintain compliance, and leverage state-of-the-art best practices for everything from electric tool operation to additive manufacturing materials and underwater welding.

Overview

Manufacturing engineering is at the heart of industrial progress—ensuring products are made safely, efficiently, and reliably, regardless of complexity. International standards, such as those published by IEC and ISO, lay down universally recognized safety protocols, test methodologies, and performance requirements. Whether you are a quality manager, compliance officer, R&D engineer, procurement specialist, or business leader, understanding the latest standards ensures:

• Legal and contractual compliance
• Improved workplace safety
• Enhanced product reliability
• Faster access to global markets

In this article, you’ll discover the core content and impact of five newly released international standards for manufacturing engineering, why they matter, and how to access them on iTeh Standards.

Detailed Standards Coverage

IEC 62841-3-1:2014 – Particular Requirements for Transportable Table Saws

Electric motor-operated hand-held tools, transportable tools and lawn and garden machinery – Safety – Part 3-1: Particular requirements for transportable table saws

The IEC 62841-3-1:2014 standard specifies safety requirements for transportable table saws equipped with a single toothed blade, stacked blades, or a moulding head cutter designed for cutting wood, plastics, and nonferrous metals (except magnesium). Saw blade diameters range from 105 mm to 315 mm and are intended for voltages up to 250 V (single-phase) or 480 V (three-phase).

Scope and Key Requirements:

• Applies to portable table saws used in professional and industrial contexts—with or without battery power (see Annex K for battery limitations).
• Addresses hazards for users during normal and reasonably foreseeable misuse, including electrical hazards, mechanical injury risks, and entanglement.
• Outlines robust marking and instruction requirements, protection against live parts, mechanical hazard mitigation, overload protection, and construction standards.
• Incorporates clauses on resistance to heat, fire, moisture, and rusting, as well as provisions for endurance and safe operation in abnormal conditions.

Practical Compliance Implications:

• Relevant for manufacturers of woodworking, plastic, and nonferrous cutting table saws, testing laboratories, importers, and regulatory authorities.
• Does not cover saws with automatic feeding, saws for ferrous materials, or those fitted with abrasive wheels.
• Includes rigorous tests and performance thresholds to ensure operator safety, including anti-kickback devices, safe blade enclosure, electrical insulation, and noise/vibration limits.
• Transition period for adoption: minimum 36 months from publication, providing time for manufacturers to comply.

Key highlights:

• Comprehensive coverage of user protection from electrical and mechanical hazards
• Detailed performance levels and noise/vibration measurement methodologies
• Essential for CE/UKCA and global market access for table saw products

Access the full standard:View IEC 62841-3-1:2014 on iTeh Standards

ISO/ASTM 52940:2025 – Characterization of Ceramic Slurry for Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing of ceramics – Feedstock materials – Characterization of ceramic slurry in vat photopolymerization

The increasingly widespread adoption of 3D printing in ceramics demands rigorous control and consistency of feedstock. ISO/ASTM 52940:2025 provides a unified framework for assessing ceramic slurry used in vat photopolymerization, ensuring that printed components meet strict quality and performance expectations.

Scope and Key Requirements:

• Applies to all organizations producing or using ceramic slurry for additive manufacturing by vat photopolymerization (including custom and proprietary formulations).
• Defines required methods for assessing:
  • Solids content (ceramic powder percentage)
  • Dynamic viscosity (flow properties)
  • Particle size distribution (crucial for print quality and density)
  • Chemical composition (incl. trace impurities)
  • Solid dispersion stability (resistance to settling and separation)
• Includes procedures for representative sample collection, test preparation, and reporting.

Implementation and Industry Impact:

• Essential for producers of ceramic AM feedstocks, 3D printing service providers, and QA laboratories.
• Harmonizes test methods for international comparison and supplier/customer agreements.
• Supports quality control, process optimization, and reduction of build failures or material waste.

Key highlights:

• Streamlined, repeatable test protocols for AM ceramic quality
• Encourages standardized documentation—facilitating audits and certification
• Reduces production variability and increases customer confidence in AM ceramics

Access the full standard:View ISO/ASTM 52940:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 15614-9:2025 – Qualification of Procedures for Underwater Hyperbaric Wet Welding

Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials – Welding procedure test – Part 9: Underwater hyperbaric wet welding

Strict control of underwater welding is critical in industries such as offshore construction, shipbuilding, and repair. ISO 15614-9:2025 offers a robust qualification process for welding procedures under hyperbaric (high-pressure, wet) conditions, addressing both production and repair applications for specific steel groups.

Scope and Key Requirements:

• Specifies qualification of preliminary welding procedures via formal test regimes for underwater wet welding.
• Covers fusion welding of steels (Groups 1, 2, 3, and 8 per ISO 15608) using manual metal arc and self-shielded tubular-cored arc welding (per ISO 4063:2023).
• Defines three weld quality levels (A, B, Z), each with performance and mechanical property criteria.
• Provides testing requirements, including tensile, impact, hardness, macroscopic, and non-destructive examination.
• Details requirements for sample size, placement, and acceptance.

Application and Compliance:

• Required for marine contractors, offshore engineering teams, weld inspectors, and certifying bodies.
• Facilitates reliable, repeatable results—crucial for safety-critical operations where human and environmental risks are high.
• Serves as a benchmark for supplier qualification and contract requirements.

Key highlights:

• Harmonized procedure for certifying hyperbaric wet welding operations
• Detailed guidance on test selection and acceptance criteria
• Enables compliance with demanding offshore and subsea specifications

Access the full standard:View ISO 15614-9:2025 on iTeh Standards

Industry Impact & Compliance

How These Standards Affect Your Operations

International standards are not just regulatory requirements—they drive improvements across quality, safety, and process consistency. Adopting these November 2025 updates enables:

• Demonstrable compliance: Meet legal obligations in local and export markets.
• Streamlined procurement: Easier supplier qualification and specification alignment.
• Reduced liability: Minimize risks of workplace accidents or failed applications, especially in safety-critical sectors.
• Enhanced product consistency: Repeatable, reliable results increase customer satisfaction and brand reputation.
• Speed to market: Access new markets with CE, UKCA, and global certifications built on referenced standards.

Compliance Considerations & Timeline

• Table saw standard (IEC 62841-3-1:2014): Minimum 36-month transition for new compliance—plan product redesigns accordingly.
• Additive manufacturing (ISO/ASTM 52940:2025): Immediate adoption improves QC outcomes and can satisfy customer audit requirements.
• Welding (ISO 15614-9:2025): Early adoption streamlines local and international marine certification.

Risks of Non-Compliance:

• Increased inspection and rework costs
• Legal action from workplace incidents or product recalls
• Barriers to market entry in compliant jurisdictions

Technical Insights

Common Requirements and Best Practices

Across these standards, several technical themes emerge:

• Rigorous Testing:
  • Mechanical, electrical, and chemical tests are specified for safety (e.g., saw blade enclosure force tests, AM powder characterization, weld specimen tensile tests).
• Sample Representativeness:
  • Emphasis on robust, statistically valid sampling protocols—critical for AM feedstock and weld procedure trials.
• Documentation and Traceability:
  • Comprehensive records for test results, deviations, and compliance demonstration (especially important for audits or certification).
• Operator Safety Focus:
  • Ergonomic, user-protection measures (e.g., anti-kickback devices, electrical isolation) are present in tool standards.
• Support for Innovation:
  • These standards pave the way for integrating new technologies in additive manufacturing and advanced welding environments.

Implementation Tips

1. Early Gap Analysis: Compare existing practices with new requirements; identify areas needing attention.
2. Cross-Department Engagement: Involve design, quality, procurement, and compliance teams from the outset.
3. Training & Certification: Ensure staff are familiar with the latest standards and any revised test methodologies.
4. Supplier Collaboration: Share standards and requirements; align acceptance protocols.
5. Leverage Accredited Labs: Use certified laboratories for material characterization, welding procedure qualification, and tool safety assessments.

Conclusion / Next Steps

With the publication of these five crucial standards in November 2025, manufacturing professionals have powerful tools to enhance safety, product integrity, and international market access. Don’t wait for audits or customer requirements—proactively review and implement the updates in your production, R&D, and procurement processes.

Recommendations:

• Review and integrate these standards in your internal specifications and supplier contracts.
• Train your teams to interpret and apply the rigorous requirements around tool safety, additive manufacturing materials, and underwater welding.
• Monitor for further updates in this monthly series to stay ahead of regulatory and technological shifts.
• For full document access, always consult the official standards via iTeh Standards for authoritative, up-to-date content.

Stay at the forefront of manufacturing engineering—adapt, comply, and lead with the November 2025 standards.