Around 170 practitioners from across the international additive manufacturing community gathered at 3D Makers Zone in Haarlem on June 30 and July 1 for the first edition of Addidex Connect, a two-day event dedicated to robotic large-format 3D printing. The event brought together people working across the full chain of robotic fabrication, including designers, engineers, software developers, material specialists, researchers, machine builders and production teams, with the aim of creating more direct exchange between disciplines that often work on the same challenges separately.

Rather than following a conventional trade-show format, the program centered on the practical realities behind robotic additive manufacturing. Sessions covered the relationship between design and toolpath logic, including multi-axis and non-planar strategies, along with material behavior at scale, adaptive fabrication, software workflows, circular feedstocks such as bio-based polymers and recycled marine plastics, process control, and the transition from prototypes to reliable production.

“Robotic 3D printing has no shortage of talent or ambition. What it needs is stronger connections among the people shaping it. Too often, valuable knowledge stays within one discipline, one machine or one company. These two days showed what becomes possible when people speak openly about both what works and what still does not,” said Michael John Sweers, Founder of Addidex Connect.

Set on the working floor of 3D Makers Zone, surrounded by industrial six-axis robots and active fabrication infrastructure, the event reflected the practical character of the field. Long breaks, live demonstrations and panel discussions created space for conversations beyond the stage, letting participants connect technical knowledge with production experience.

The program featured Aldo Sollazzo of LaMáquina and Noumena, Miguel García Jiménez of Nagami, and Francesco De Stefano of Caracol AM, along with contributions from TU Delft and TU Eindhoven on computational design, fabrication, and the future of large-scale additive manufacturing. A broader international group of practitioners from studios, universities, technology companies and manufacturing organizations rounded out the attendee base.

Across the two days, a shared theme took hold among participants: the progress of robotic additive manufacturing will depend less on machines alone and more on coordination between design intent, material knowledge, toolpath logic, sensing, software and production. Speakers pointed to the next phase that will require closer collaboration, more transferable knowledge and franker discussion of failure, qualification and scale.

Pre-registration for the next edition of Addidex Connect, scheduled for July 22 and 23, 2027, is open.