50% increase in registrations compared to same time last year
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 9May 2018), the amount of reserved exhibition space even by 63%.
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 early-May, around 100 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.
An important topic for Russian industry
Additive manufacturing has now arrived in the realm of industrial manufacturing. More and more applications are emerging in areas like automotive, aerospace, medical technology, mechanical engineering, and oil and gas production. These sectors, which happen to represent the core of the Russian industry, can benefit from this modern technology in significant ways. Rosmould - Moscow's International Exhibition of Moulds, Die Moulds, Stamps, Equipment and Technologies for Manufacture of Products is the perfect local platform for presenting potential AM applications to the country's industry. Meanwhile, visitors will be able to experience the latest developments and innovations from around the world at Formnext in Frankfurt am Main this November. “That's why Formnext and Rosmould are such a good match,” Sascha Wenzler points out. “We’re glad that we've been able to call Rosmould part of the Mesago Messe Frankfurt corporate family since last year.”
The trends in the exhibitors attending Formnext also reveal that Russian industry interest in additive manufacturing continues to grow. In fact, three Russian companies that have never exhibited at Formnext have already registered for the 2018 edition. Along with Thor3D, a manufacturer of 3D scanners, Picaso 3D will be on hand to show off its innovative desktop 3D printers, which it says can meet industrial requirements, as well. The Russian aluminum corporation Rusal has also recognized the potential in additive manufacturing and will be putting its latest developments on display at Formnext 2018.
Conference is again hub for the exchange of AM industry-knowledge and innovation
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.
Concrete business opportunities at the fore
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 succeeded in completing numerous deals that accounted for a significant portion of their annual order volume.
Scope of subjects continues to expand
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.
Planned extension of seminar series Discover3Dprinting
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 ACAM Aachen Center for Additive Manufacturing (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.
About Formnext
Formnext is the leading tradefair for Additive Manufacturing and the next generation of intelligent manufacturing solutions. It focuses on the efficient realization of parts and products, from their design to serial production. Formnext shows the future of innovative manufacturing. The conference set to take place alongside the exhibition will also highlight the latest trends and issues in additive manufacturing, along with clever ways in which it can be integrated into process chains in industrial production. The conference’s content is designed by Rapidnews/tct. Formnext is organized by Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH.
About Mesago
Mesago, founded in 1982 and located in Stuttgart, specializes in exhibitions and conferences on various topics of technology. The company belongs to the Messe Frankfurt Group. Mesago operates internationally and is not tied to a specific venue. With 140 members of staff Mesago organizes events for the benefit of more than 3,300 exhibitors and over 110,000 trade visitors, conference delegates and speakers from all over the world. Numerous trade associations, publishing houses, scientific institutes and universities work with Mesago closely as advisers, co-organizers and partners.
About Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. With over 2,500* employees at some 30 locations, the company generates annual sales of around €661* million. Thanks to its far-reaching ties with the relevant sectors and to its international sales network, the Group looks after the business interests of its customers effectively. A comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services. With its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent). * Preliminary figures for 2017
About TCT (Content Partner)
Since 1992 the TCT Group’s mission has been to accelerate the adoption of 3D technologies for design, development and manufacture across all industry sectors. Through events, publications, websites and digital products TCT delivers business-critical insights on 3D printing, additive manufacturing, CAD/CAE, metrology and inspection, as well as traditional manufacturing processes such as molding, casting and CNC machining. The TCT Group is owned by Rapid News Publications Ltd (rapidnews.com), part of Rapid News Communications Group.
About the Working Group Additive Manufacturing (Honorary Sponsor)
Within the Working Group Additive Manufacturing, more than 120 companies and research institutes collaborate under the direction of the German industry federation VDMA. Here, plant engineers; component and material suppliers; industrial companies that work with metals and plastics; service providers in software, manufacturing, and processing; and numerous researchers all work toward the same goal: the industrialization of additive manufacturing techniques.
