--- title: "Expanding the foundations for the next decade of AM growth at Formnext" url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/expanding-the-foundations-for-the-next-decade-of-am-growth-at-formnext/ date: 2025-11-27 modified: 2025-12-15 lang: en author: "Davide Sher" description: "In Part 1 and Part 2 of this article series, we discussed additive manufacturing of polymers and metals, highlighting serial production capabilities as a key growth driver. However, the primary..." categories: - "3D Printing Events" - "Advanced Materials" - "Advanced Polymers" - "Ceramics" - "Composites" - "Concrete" - "Formnext" - "Materials" - "Polymers" - "Thermosets" - "Trends 2026" tags: - "Featured" image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/RLPIMG_0500-2-scaled-e1764241858774-640x450.jpg word_count: 2248 --- # Expanding the foundations for the next decade of AM growth at Formnext In [Part 1](https://www.voxelmatters.com/laying-the-foundations-for-the-next-decade-of-am-growth-at-formnext-2025/) and [Part 2](https://www.voxelmatters.com/reinforcing-the-foundations-for-the-next-decade-of-growth-in-metal-am/) of this article series, we discussed additive manufacturing of polymers and metals, highlighting serial production capabilities as a key growth driver. However, the primary benefit of AM is not in scale economics but in eliminating them. With some discretion, one 3D printed part costs just as much to make as one part in a million-part 3D printed batch. This is hyper-customization through ultra-advanced processes and materials. This benefit of AM is best observed within additive manufacturing's most advanced and innovative niches, which may not account for the largest share of revenues (at least for now and for the foreseeable future), but do represent some of the most fascinating industrial applications. Technical ceramics, concrete binder jetting, thermosets (especially silicone), micro- and nano-3D printing, continuous fiber composites, precious and refractory metals, multi-material capabilities: these are the fringe areas of AM, and they were very well represented at this year's Formenxt edition, attracting crowds and generating excitement around new manufacturing possibilities. ![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/AM-Market_IMG_0644-scaled-e1764235679454.jpg)During the show, VoxelMatters distributed a summary of our [AM Market 2025 report,](https://www.voxelmatters.report/product/additive-manufacturing-market-report-2025/) showing the sharp difference in revenues between Metal AM and Polymer AM compared to Ceramic AM. The latter is worth only a fraction of each of the first two. Still, the attention it generates is almost as significant due to its great potential for the advanced ceramic industry and for advanced industrial applications as a whole. For these reasons, along with Formenxt, VoxelMatters is a media partner of the two most important shows for composites and ceramics: [JEC World](https://www.voxelmatters.com/event/jec-world-2026/) in Paris and [Ceramitec](https://www.voxelmatters.com/event/ceramitec-2026/) in Munich, both of which will take place in March 2026. As mentioned in the first article of this series, the two biggest new products presented at Formnext were [RLP's Gravity 3D printer](https://www.voxelmatters.com/rlps-levity-3d-printer-is-breaking-the-law-of-gravity/) for silicone and [Moi Composite's LFAM system for thermoset composites](https://www.voxelmatters.com/moi-composites-unveils-the-hfp-series/). In addition, one of the biggest announcements made during the show was [Sinto Group's acquisition of Bosch Advanced Ceramics](https://www.voxelmatters.com/bosch-advanced-ceramics-to-join-sintokogio-group/), which will shape the technical ceramic AM segment in the years to come. Let's take a look at these and some other fringe AM stories from the show. ## Silicone innovations Silicone was one of the "stars" of this year's show. We did not include it in Part 1 (dedicated to polymers) because thermosets in general—and this thermoset material in particular—have very different characteristics from both thermoplastics and vat photopolymers. First, it is not widely used in AM; however, every time a company introduces silicone-related capabilities, it generates a massive echo. While some silicone material companies have attempted to enter the AM market and failed (mostly due to insufficient focus and understanding of the AM industry), today, one of the most experienced companies active in silicone 3D printing is a French extrusion company, Lynxter, both internally and through a partnership with another French company called 3DEUS Dynamics. But we'll get to them in a second. One of the booths that attracted the most attention was Rapid Liquid Printing's. RLP is a company that originated at MIT and emerged through initial investment by BMW. Its Gravity 3D printer, shown for the very first time at Formnext, introduces an entirely new way to print nearly any standard silicone material, easily and cost-effectively, by extruding it inside a hydrogel. [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/RLPIMG_0509-640x480.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/RLPIMG_0509-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/RLPIMG_0507-640x480.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/RLPIMG_0507-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/RLPIMG_0510-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/RLPIMG_0510-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/RLPIMG_0502-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/RLPIMG_0502-scaled.jpg) This resolves three issues at once: the part doesn't fold under gravity's pull, doesn't require supports, and can be post-processed in a standard sink. You can read more about this technology in our recent article, but the news is that RLP sold its first machine in Europe to NADDCON (which belongs to HZG Group, one of RLP's main investors) and will be offering printing services. However, if you want to print silicone without being limited by gravity, RLP is not your only solution. As mentioned, Lynxter introduced two processes (and corresponding machines) that can achieve similar results, albeit in a smaller build volume. The NEST Powder system was developed with 3DEUS ([we reported on it a few years ago when we saw it at a show in France](https://www.voxelmatters.com/lynxter-and-3deus-dynamics-parnter-to-advance-silicone-3d-printing/)) and uses powder as the supporting medium. The newer NEST Gel system uses the same principle as the RLP machine. In addition, Lynxter allows printing silicone with a standard paste deposition system. The best part is that all of these can be used interchangeably on the same machine. [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Lynxter_IMG_0593-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Lynxter_IMG_0593-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Lynxter_IMG_0592-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Lynxter_IMG_0592-scaled.jpg) By the way, one of the biggest news items at the Prusa booth (announced ahead of Formnext) is [support for Filament2's unique silicone materials](https://www.voxelmatters.com/prusa-unveils-core-one-l-3d-printer-larger-heated-and-security-ready/), another clear indication that silicone is driving significant interest. ## Thermoset and composites innovations The other big news story at the show was Moi Composites' first machine, the HFP series, for short-fiber composite thermoset printing. We got to see it up close, and it is even more impressive than it looked. It is a robotic LFAM system that deposits a photocurable vinyl ester material containing up to 50% chopped glass fiber. This results in parts that are almost as strong as advanced thermoplastic parts, but the process is several times faster (no minimum layer time) and more versatile, because the material doesn't need to cool down, and is much less costly. [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0424-255x340.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0424-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0423-255x340.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0423-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0422-255x340.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0422-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0421-255x340.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0421-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0420-255x340.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0420-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0416-255x340.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0416-scaled.jpg) ![Explore the innovations in silicone, composites, ceramics and thermosets at Formnext. Discover their role in advanced additive manufacturing applications.](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Moi_IMG_0418-scaled.jpg)It solidifies as it cures, like Massivit’s Gel Deposition Printing technology, but Moi’s system prints a composite paste. Incidentally, Massivit is one of the most unique companies in all of AM, and we've featured the company many times. However, we were unable to stop by the company's booth this year to see the latest innovations, and we hope to share some news with you soon. Back to Moi: the parts produced look truly impressive, both in size and precision, using a very difficult material to print and one that has never been printed in this manner before. We saw some incredible overhangs, extreme fire resistance, self-extinguishing behavior after flame exposure and no flame propagation across the surface, high machinability, and even parts printed on existing parts with excellent adhesion. Moi showed us many more things in the works, so this is a company and a technology to really keep an eye on. Other interesting innovations in composites revolved mainly around continuous-fiber composite 3D printing, with some technologies we’ve reported on in the past, such as Reinforce3D and Endless Industries. With market leader Markforged in a delicate transitional phase, many hope to capture a large share of the market. In particular, the team at Anisoprint is working on their FiberSeeker project. For now, it’s limited to a high-profile Kickstarter campaign, but it will be interesting to see if it delivers on its promise of a truly low-cost continuous-fiber 3D printer. ## Ceramics innovations Which brings us to ceramics, the AM industry's biggest niche. The ceramic AM market, which VoxelMatters has been studying and researching for nearly a decade, is incredibly dynamic. New state-of-the-art technologies continue to enter the market, and the range of applications continues to expand. ![Explore the innovations in silicone, composites, ceramics and thermosets at Formnext. Discover their role in advanced additive manufacturing applications.](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/lithoz-scaled-e1764237620508.jpg) ![Explore the innovations in silicone, composites, ceramics and thermosets at Formnext. Discover their role in advanced additive manufacturing applications.](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/ceracleaner-scaled-e1764237650734.jpg)Lithoz focused on new applications while 3DCeram introduced an automated post-processing unit. As mentioned, the announcement that Sinto Group—already the owner of ceramic laser SLA 3D-printing leader 3D Ceram—has acquired Bosch Advanced Ceramics (the leader in ceramic AM services) was one of the biggest news items of the show. It was a pleasure to welcome Marketing Manager Sabine Tulachan to our meeting room shortly after the announcement to discuss the new opportunities that will emerge. Besides this deal, which focuses on the serial production of technical ceramic parts using various technologies, the show featured several ceramic AM-related products. These were not necessarily new technologies, but rather new applications. It’s mind-boggling how the technical capabilities introduced by Lithoz and 3D Ceram over a decade ago are still very much state-of-the-art today. Both ceramic market leaders focused on consolidating their capabilities, with Lithoz showcasing additional applications and 3D Ceram introducing a new post-processing system developed in collaboration with PostProcess Technologies (the first such system for ceramics). Most of the technological news was found in jetting (binder and material) systems, such as those introduced by D3, XJET, Concr3de, and new entrant Roland, as well as a few other even more niche companies. With voxel-level control capabilities, material jetting is the most advanced AM technology around, and it has found multiple uses in technical ceramics even before metals. XJET is the trailblazer in this segment. Founded by some of the people behind Stratasys' PolyJet, the company has been developing its NanoParticle Jetting technology for several years, and it now appears to have reached commercial maturity. While a lot of the focus has shifted to metals, ceramics such as alumina and zirconia are key materials with numerous applications in the medical, dental, and jewelry industries. [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/XJETIMG_0456-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/XJETIMG_0456-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/XJETIMG_0460-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/XJETIMG_0460-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/XJETIMG_0459-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/XJETIMG_0459-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/XJETIMG_0458-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/XJETIMG_0458-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/XJETIMG_0457-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/XJETIMG_0457-scaled.jpg) A few years ago, XJET gained a competitor in the field of ceramic material jetting: D3, part of the Durst Group in Northern Italy. D3 developed a system based on microparticle jetting technology, which can proficiently process complex and very useful materials such as dark ceramics like silicon carbide—including both SSiC and SiSiC—to produce fully dense, complex parts. The two companies will tell you that their processes are very different and almost impossible to compare, which may be true. However, the bottom line is that D3 uses larger particles, which makes them more difficult to jet but easier to produce. In contrast, XJET uses nanoparticle solutions, which are perfect for jetting but expensive to produce. Both represent the state of the art in additive manufacturing. [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/D3IMG_0321-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/D3IMG_0321-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/D3IMG_0326-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/D3IMG_0326-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/D3IMG_0329-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/D3IMG_0329-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/D3IMG_0330-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/D3IMG_0330-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/D3IMG_0331-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/D3IMG_0331-scaled.jpg) Another company to keep an eye on—working on multi-material jetting of ceramics—is AMAREA. While we did not have the opportunity to meet with them at Formnext, we [have reported on their technology from Ceramitec in 2024,](https://www.voxelmatters.com/ceramic-3d-printing-gets-red-hot-at-ceramitec-2024/) and they have been making progress. In general, silicon carbide remains one of the hottest materials for jetting technologies, with companies like Schunk and new entrant MADDE (part of the Hyundai Group) also working on advanced silicon carbide applications via binder jetting. ![Explore the innovations in silicone, composites, ceramics and thermosets at Formnext. Discover their role in advanced additive manufacturing applications.](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/roland-scaled-e1764238696131.jpg) Binder jetting also remains a very interesting process for more traditional ceramic materials such as sand and concrete. This show marked the first time that market leaders voxeljet and ExOne exhibited together [after officially joining forces a few weeks ago](https://www.voxelmatters.com/exone-and-voxeljet-merge-under-unified-holding-company-finally/). Other companies are also entering this arena, working on both technical and traditional ceramic materials. Concr3de is one of the fastest-growing. Ricoh has been developing its own technology but has not yet reached commercialization and was not present at this edition; instead, Roland—a leader in 2D printing and subtractive technologies—was present for the first time [to showcase its new ceramic and sand binder jetting systems.](https://www.voxelmatters.com/roland-launches-two-new-ceramic-3d-printers/) Laempe, [another strong but newer player in sand-binder jetting](https://www.voxelmatters.com/laempe-showed-off-its-sand-binder-jetting-3d-printer-at-gifa-2023/), was also present at the show for the first time. The company—which is also part of the Sinto Group, like 3D Ceram and now Sinto Advanced Ceramics (formerly Bosch Advanced Ceramics)—is poised to become a major player. While concrete extrusion 3D printing isn't usually a big thing at Formenxt, we found some concrete 3D printing technologies worth mentioning for their uniqueness. One is concrete binder jetting by Progress Group. We've known the company as a service provider for several years, but now they are also selling their machines. Another is m-tech, which developed a material-extruder-software combination that can 3D print concrete upside down (as seen at the Ai Build booth). [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/progress-concrete-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/progress-concrete-scaled.jpg) [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/aibuild-concrete-480x640.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/aibuild-concrete-scaled.jpg) ## Multi-material 3D printing innovations We mentioned material jetting as a state-of-the-art technology for ceramics (and metals) due to its voxel-level control and multi-material capabilities. These capabilities are even more evident in polymer 3D printing, where Stratasys PolyJet is an unrivaled market leader for medical and industrial applications. However, its PolyJet printers and materials remain costly. ![Explore the innovations in silicone, composites, ceramics and thermosets at Formnext. Discover their role in advanced additive manufacturing applications.](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/8DAC9E03-2918-4BCC-A65D-F3AF271F5EC1_1_105_c.jpeg)That's a lot of colors. Competitors like Mimaki have fine-tuned the process for incredible-looking multi-color models and some graphic consumer products with generally lower overall costs. After establishing the segment, Mimaki is now facing competition from a new entrant, Sailner, a Chinese company specializing in 3D printing with multi-color capabilities. It will be interesting to see this segment—which is still in a very early phase of development—continue to evolve as competition intensifies. Not entirely related in terms of process, multi-material is also becoming increasingly relevant in metal powder bed fusion, thanks to the technology developed by Aerosint and implemented industrially by Schaeffler (which acquired Aerosint from Desktop Metal) and by Aconity for more educational and research products. Fidentis is another player implementing multi-metal capabilities with a different approach and focusing specifically on dental products. All these technologies remain niche but continue to gain adoption. [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/sailner-640x480.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/sailner-scaled.jpg) The multi-color material jetting 3D printer from Sailner [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/schaeffler-640x480.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/schaeffler-scaled.jpg) The industrial machine from Schaeffler for multi-metal printing ## Micro- and nano-3D printing innovations Finally, the micro- and nano-3D printing segment remains promising, with companies like Boston Micro Fabrication and UpNano emerging as the most successful in this arena. Unfortunately, these companies do not proactively engage with VoxelMatters, so we are unable to bring you the latest updates this time. But we do continue to keep an eye on them in our market studies and hope to do so in the near future, as we do for all interesting niches. If you'd like to learn more, check out our latest studies on the [Ceramic AM Market](https://www.voxelmatters.report/product/ceramic-am-market-2025/) and the [Composites AM Market](https://www.voxelmatters.report/product/composites-am-2024/), or [go back to Part 1 of this series](https://www.voxelmatters.com/laying-the-foundations-for-the-next-decade-of-am-growth-at-formnext-2025/) and reach out to tell us what you think about our coverage and whether we missed someone important. See you at the next show on our [calendar](https://www.voxelmatters.com/events/). [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ceramic.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.report/product/ceramic-am-market-2025/)Do you want to know everything about the Ceramic AM market? Order the VoxelMatters Ceramic AM Market 2025 report.