“Additive manufacturing is finding its way into an ever-increasing number of industries. New areas and applications are therefore opening up all the time,” explains Sascha F. Wenzler, Vice President Formnext, Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH. “We don’t simply illustrate these areas and innovations at Formnext; we discuss them, advance them with our partners and exhibitors, and give them a home.”
Among other things, Formnext has significantly expanded its AM4U offering to include subjects such as: Start-Ups and Investments (Tuesday, 15 November 2022), Construction and Architecture, Decentralized Manufacturing, and the partner country France (Wednesday, 16 November), AM in Education and Careers (17 November) and, for the first time, a Deep Thought presented by ACAM, Formnext and VDMA AG AM, where AM topics will be examined in more detail with a focus on answering important questions from the industry. On Friday, 18 November 2022, a new panel will discuss the use of AM in ceramic applications. The AM4U program will include such high-profile attendees as Arno Held from AM Ventures, Frank Herzog from HZG, Prof. Johannes Schleifenbaum from RWTH Aachen University and ACAM, Melissa E. Orme from Boeing Additive Manufacturing, Dr. Markus Heering from VDMA AG AM, and a host of renowned scientists and prominent international company representatives. The presentations will be curated by the honorary sponsor of Formnext, VDMA AG AM.
From AM seminars to career opportunities
Back by popular demand are the Discover3Dprinting seminars, which are especially useful to those new to AM and will take place on the AM4U stage on each day of the exhibition (daily at 11:20 a.m.; Tuesday and Thursday in German; Wednesday and Friday in English). On the Thursday, visitors will also have an opportunity to learn more about the wide range of careers in the AM industry and sit for a professional photographer for job application photos.
All content from the AM4U stage as well as impressions, voices, and more will be streamed live on Formnext.TV, which will also be available to Formnext visitors after the exhibition to enable them to catch up on anything they might have missed during the in-person event. This also gives anyone unable to attend the event in Frankfurt an opportunity to participate in Formnext virtually.
Exhibition visitors can still benefit from the early bird discount on ticket prices up to and including 15 October 2022. Inspired by Deutsche Bahn’s summer deal, there is also a 9-euro ticket for students
Exhibitor innovations around every corner
The importance of Formnext for the industry is reflected in the exceptionally high number of innovations already announced by exhibitors. These range from new technologies and systems to innovations throughout the process chain, from materials to post-processing. Wenzler: “For many years, Formnext has been a hub of innovation, time and again serving as a catalyst and accelerator for innovations and developments in the industry.”
Visitors to Formnext will have an opportunity to meet the world’s elite in Additive Manufacturing. Among the exhibitors already registered are 3D Systems, Additive Industries, AddUp, Arburg, BigRep, Carbon, Desktop Metal, DMG Mori, Dyemansion, EOS, Farsoon, Formlabs, GE Additive, HP, Keyence, Markforged, Materialise, Renishaw, Ricoh, Siemens, Sisma, SLM Solutions, Stratasys, Trumpf, Voxeljet, XJet and Zeiss. In addition, numerous well-known international corporations, including BASF, Covestro, Evonik, GKN Sinter Metals Components, Henkel, Höganäs, Linde, Mitsubishi Chemical, Nikon, Oerlikon, Sandvik, SMS Group, and many more will showcase their solutions along the entire process chain.
France: a versatile, innovative, and diverse partner country
France is one of the most important European countries in additive manufacturing and has had a strong presence at Formnext for many years now. This year, more than forty French companies, associations, and research institutes will be exhibiting at Formnext. Also in attendance will be a selection of French partners and key AM associations, regions, and research institutions, including France Additive, Cimes, CCI Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and the Carnot Network.
A diverse program of supporting events
In addition to the extensive program on the AM4U Stage, Formnext 2022 will also see the return and expansion of various other established events as well as an array of new program elements. The Start-Up Challenge, which recognizes innovative and viable business ideas from young companies, will take place for the eighth time, for example. The exhibitors in the Start-Up Area will present themselves in brief introductory rounds on the AM4U stage. There will also be interesting contributions on the topic of investment and funding. The purmundus challenge ideas competition will this year celebrate its 10th anniversary with a showcase entitled ‘Best of 10 Years’.
In addition, the high-quality conference program organized by Formnext’s content partner, TCT, will once again address current trends and developments in additive manufacturing in 2022, High-ranking representatives from Honda, GE Healthcare, PepsiCo, among others, will discuss current developments in the medical technology, aerospace, automotive, and food industries, while the VDMA will have a showcase, exhibiting industrial AM applications and business cases from the world of mechanical engineering, and provide further insights with presentations on the AM4U stage. Using real applications, the BE-AM showcase will demonstrate advanced developments in 3D printing in the construction industry, a topic that is growing in importance. At the same time, the BE-AM Symposium will provide a wealth of background information on this subject and present future developments in the field.
On 14 November 2022, one day before the exhibition commences, the renowned ASTM Standards Forum will once again bring together international experts and decision-makers from the AM industry to discuss the extremely important topic of standards. New to this year’s exhibition will be Wohlers Report LIVE at Formnext 2022 on 14 November, a supporting event following the Standards Forum that will give attendees an overview of the AM industry and many valuable insights into materials and component production, the future of AM, and much more.
Also taking place during Formnext 2022, from 15-17 November, will be a silent auction with many attractive, exhibitor-donated prizes up for grabs. Proceeds will benefit Ukraine Relief.
Further information is available at www.formnext.com
Background information on Formnext
Formnext is the leading trade fair for Additive Manufacturing and the next generation of intelligent manufacturing solutions. It focuses on the efficient realization of parts and products, from their design to serial production. Formnext shows the future of innovative manufacturing. Formnext is organized by Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH. (formnext.com)
About Mesago Messe Frankfurt
Mesago, founded in 1982 and located in Stuttgart, specializes in exhibitions and conferences on various topics of technology. The company belongs to the Messe Frankfurt Group. Mesago operates internationally and is not tied to a specific venue. With around 150 members of staff Mesago organizes events for the benefit of more than 3,300 exhibitors and over 110,000 trade visitors, conference delegates and speakers from all over the world. Numerous trade associations, publishing houses, scientific institutes and universities work with Mesago closely as advisers, co-organizers and partners. (mesago.com)
Background information on Messe Frankfurt
The Messe Frankfurt Group is one of the world’s leading trade fair, congress and event organisers with their own exhibition grounds. With a workforce of 2,200 people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 28 subsidiaries, it organises events around the world. As in the previous year, annual sales for 2021 were significantly lower owing to the COVID-19 pandemic: approximately €154 million compared with Group sales as high as €736 million in pre-pandemic 2019. We serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. Sustainable business practices are a central pillar in our corporate strategy and strike a healthy balance between ecological and economic interests, social responsibility and diversity. Another of Messe Frankfurt’s strengths is its powerful and closely knit global sales network, which covers around 180 countries in all regions of the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are using our digital expertise to develop new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services.
With its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
Background information on TCT (Content Partner)
Established in 1992, TCT Group’s mission is to accelerate design-to-manufacturing innovation. Through global trade shows, conferences, magazines, websites and digital products TCT delivers business-critical insights on the technologies that help manufacturers make better products, more quickly and cost-effectively. Through the TCT Awards TCT celebrates the most innovative products and applications across the design-to-manufacturing process chain. The TCT Group is owned by Rapid News Publications Ltd, part of Rapid News Group. (thetctgroup.com)
Background information on the Working Group Additive Manufacturing (Honorary Sponsor)
Within the Working Group Additive Manufacturing, about 170 companies and research institutes collaborate under the direction of the German industry federation VDMA. Here, plant engineers; component and material suppliers; industrial companies that work with metals and plastics; service providers in software, manufacturing, and processing; and numerous researchers all work toward the same goal: the industrialization of additive manufacturing techniques. (am.vdma.org)