Skip to main content

Formnext

With over 730 exhibitors and more than 50,000m² of gross floorspace booked, Formnext has surpassed last year’s figures of 606 exhibitors and 38,100m2 of floor space, paving the way for an exceptional 2022 show. 

The world’s leading exhibition for additive manufacturing and modern industrial production will also be setting new standards in content. The supporting programme of events is set to be more extensive than ever before, showcasing the latest topics and developments in additive manufacturing from such diverse sectors as the construction industry, aerospace, ceramic applications, and investments. Also playing an important role in the event will be this year’s partner country, France.

“Additive manufacturing is finding its way into an ever-increasing number of industries. New areas and applications are therefore opening up all the time,” explained Sascha 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, Decentralised 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 programme 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.

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 programme of supporting events

In addition to the extensive programme 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 programme 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 programme organised 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.

Media Partners