Formnext 2025 remains resilient in challenging times

Despite a challenging political and economic environment, Formnext has recorded solid figures for its 10th anniversary. By the beginning of March 2025, 533 companies from 34 countries had already registered for the international additive manufacturing trade fair and the next generation of industrial production, which is to be held from 18 to 21 November this year, in Frankfurt, Germany.

“Formnext thus underscores how indispensable it is for the AM industry even in very challenging times,” said Sascha F. Wenzler, Vice President of Formnext at event organizer Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH.

“The diversity of our existing and new exhibitors is proof that additive manufacturing offers excellent business opportunities for companies along the entire process chain,” said Petra Haarburger, President of Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH.

This is why the exhibitors who have already registered include not only the world’s AM elite such as 3D Systems, Additive Industries, Alphacam, Arburg, Bambu Lab, BLT, Colibrium Additive, DMG Mori, DyeMansion, EOS, Evonik, Farsoon, Formlabs, HBD, Henkel, Höganäs, HP, KraussMaffei, Linde, Materialise, Meltio, Nikon SLM Solutions, Oerlikon, Polymaker, Prusa, Renishaw, Ricoh, Sandvik, Siemens, Sisma, SMS Group, Stratasys, Trumpf, Voxeljet, and Xjet, but also numerous companies that have established themselves in other industrial sectors and regard the AM market, which is growing at double-digit rates every year, as extremely interesting in terms of sales. Using products specially developed for 3D printing, these companies are also ensuring that this sector continues to press ahead with its industrialization and growth.

Of the exhibitors registered so far, 65% are from abroad. Apart from Germany, China, and the USA, important exhibitor countries include this year’s partner country Spain, as well as Italy, France, and the UK. The very solid development of Formnext is also based on an extremely positive response from exhibitors and visitors: According to the survey conducted at the last edition, a full 88% of exhibitors were satisfied or extremely satisfied with their participation in Formnext 2024. Among the 34,404 visitors, the satisfaction rating was as high as 96%. The analysis also shows the outstanding position of Formnext in the AM sector: 38% of trade visitors can only be reached via Formnext because they do not attend any other trade fair.

Although there has been repeated talk of consolidation in the AM sector over the past year, the new exhibitors in particular (companies that have not previously exhibited at Formnext) show the innovative dynamism with which the AM world is developing. New exhibitors from 15 different countries have already registered at this early stage of the year: In addition to a number of Western European countries and China, there is also representation from the USA, Korea, Romania, and Turkey. The new exhibitors cover all stages of the process chain. For example, the German companies Oscar PLT, Layer Performance, Thyssenkrupp Materials Trading, and REM Surface Engineering offer innovative solutions in the areas of AM systems, slicing software, materials, and surface finishing. Schunk Ingenieurkeramik specializes in the manufacture of ceramics. Companies are also presenting an extensive portfolio in terms of the size of components – such as the Romanian dental laboratory Labvision-Dent or the Italian company MOI Composites with its 3D printing of boats.

“This wide range also indicates that the world of additive manufacturing is constantly offering companies new applications and business opportunities which they can then, for example, develop further by participating in Formnext,” said Christoph Stüker, Vice President of Formnext at event organizer Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH.