formnext on track for further success with 50% increase in registrations
Judging by the flurry of activity surrounding the event, formnext is set to continue its successful run on 13 – 16 November 2018 in Frankfurt am Main. The number of exhibitors, who have already registered, has grown by 50% compared to the same period last year (as of 15 March 2018), as has the amount of reserved exhibition space.
Additive manufacturing is currently one of the most important upcoming subjects for companies in numerous industries. This is underscored by the fact that both emerging start-ups and long-standing, yet innovative corporations are finding out what formnext can offer them. As of mid- March, 88 new exhibitors from 19 countries had already registered for formnext 2018 – including prominent international groups such as Clariant, Mitsubishi Chemicals, and Solvay. Carbon 3D, a world- renowned start-up from Silicon Valley, will also be unveiling its latest innovations at the exhibition in Frankfurt.
TCT, formnext’s content partner, is also organizing another high-quality conference program that will bring the AM industry’s leading minds together with industrial users during the exhibition. The conference’s exciting presentations will highlight current and upcoming developments in the fields of research and industry while offering key inspiration for the future.
Expanding business opportunities
The rise of additive manufacturing and the ever-increasing number of related uses are leading more and more companies to focus on tangible business deals as they search for worthwhile applications and business cases across a variety of sectors. “Additive manufacturing and its leading exhibition have matured together and become an integral part of the associated industry,” states Sascha F. Wenzler, Vice President for formnext at event organizer Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH. This progress was already evident at formnext 2017, where many companies
This year, formnext’s successful development is poised to continue as it expands to cover an even wider range of topics along the relevant process chains. “Part of this involves our effort to present the entire process chain in modern industrial production in an even more condensed and comprehensive way,” Wenzler explains. Along with the already highly advanced areas of AM (including hardware and materials), software and post-processing (for powder removal, surface finishing, and heat treatment, for example) and complex industrial tool- making are to receive increased attention in 2018. “Industrial additive manufacturing requires a broad spectrum of activities, from design, work preparation, and forming processes to surface finishing and quality assurance,” Wenzler affirms.
The trends witnessed in recent years have reinforced the notion that a significant amount of value creation potential can be found in pre- and post-processing. “As the organizers behind formnext, this makes it all the more important for us to showcase these market developments at the exhibition, all the while presenting future trends and comprehensive solutions that attendees can use in their modern production operations,” Wenzler adds.
The fruits of these efforts can already be seen in this year’s new exhibitor list, which includes both innovative manufacturers of hardware and 3D printers and companies that deal in materials and services such as Solvay, Messer Group and Mitsubishi Chemical Europe. New solutions will also be unveiled in the field of post-processing by MHG Strahlanlagen, PostProcess Technologies and Leering Hengelo.
Growing the “discover3Dprinting” seminar series
The discover3Dprinting seminar series was launched at formnext 2017. Designed to introduce companies from as many industry sectors as possible to the possibilities afforded by AM, it also aims to make it easier for them to start using this technology.
In cooperation with the Aachen Center for Additive Manufacturing (ACAM, a spin-off of Fraunhofer IPT), the series is set to expand this year with content prepared for specific target groups in connection with other exhibitions, including PCIM (Nuremberg), Achema, and Automechanika (both Frankfurt). The world of AM will thus be entering further intriguing user segments in power electronics, chemical processes, and the automotive industry. As in 2017, discover3Dprinting will then culminate at this year’s formnext event in Frankfurt.
