Formnext 2025 marks ten years with expanded AM event programme
Mesago Messe Frankfurt reports it has expanded this year’s Formnext programme, as the event celebrates its tenth anniversary. Along with the existing three stages, numerous special showcases, Formnext Awards, featured partner country, and specialised seminars, new highlights at Formnext 2025 will include focused trade fair tours, live AM shows, and interactive features.
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“By expanding our event programme, we’re addressing current developments in the world of Additive Manufacturing,” explained Christoph Stüker, Vice President of Formnext at Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH. “The range of industrial applications grows every year, and more and more people are gaining access to this innovative technology. At the same time, the AM industry is demanding ever more economical, but also more specialised solutions.”
Three stages, one focus: topics that drive the AM industry
On the Application Stage (Hall 11.1, E69), a variety of innovative additive applications will be discussed, from individual orthoses, jewellery, and watches to rocket engines, robot components, pipelines, and spare parts for wind turbines. The focus here is primarily on economic efficiency.
The Industry Stage (Hall 11.0, D72), meanwhile, is dedicated to overarching topics that affect the AM industry, such as sustainability, the industrialisation of AM, and “Design for AM”. AI-generated consumer products and the Additive Manufacturing of mushroom mycelium are just two specific examples.
Finally, exhibitors’ latest innovations will also be presented on the Technology Stage (12.1, B49).
Important conference topics: decentralised manufacturing, desktop AM machines, and more
In a further nod to Formnext’s 10th anniversary, the Industry Stage will feature a keynote speech followed by a panel discussion that will look back on AM developments over the past decade, as well as forward to the years ahead.
Another panel on mergers and acquisitions will address the current consolidation movements in the AM world, and regional, national, and international initiatives will also be presented and discussed. Also poised to play a prominent role in this year’s stage programme is one of the particular strengths of Additive Manufacturing across all the relevant industries, namely, decentralised production. Among other advantages, this trend offers potential for rethinking supply chains. An important component of this process is the increasing significance of relatively inexpensive desktop AM machines, which are also becoming more common in the industrial environment.
The 2025 Formnext stage programme will also be dedicated to the opportunities and challenges this “democratisation of AM” presents, especially from the perspective of small and medium-sized companies.
AM knowledge for beginners and experts
In addition, the Discover3DPrinting seminars, which are held in cooperation with the Aachen Center for Additive Manufacturing (ACAM), will take place daily on the Application Stage. Here, newcomers to AM can gain an overview of the field along with plenty of key insights. These will be complemented by DeepDives into the topics of large-format plastic AM, the rise of DED technology, data-driven design, and the scaling of Additive Manufacturing on the Technology Stage.
New formats: guided tours, livestream, and quiz show
This year’s new offerings include guided tours of Formnext with a focus on postprocessing. The tours, which will take around an hour and a half and be led by AM and industry experts, will take place on Wednesday, November 19 (in German) and Thursday, November 20 (in English) from 2:00 pm. The meeting point will be in the foyer in front of Hall 12.0. Advance registration is not required. Participation is based on a first-come, first-served basis. Two additional components of the Formnext supporting programme will be ‘Show and Telling LIVE’, a livestream presented by YouTuber and content creator 3D Printing Nerd on Tuesday afternoon in Hall 11.0, and the Ultimate Additive Quiz Show on Wednesday evening on the Technology Stage.
Special showcases
The special showcases at Formnext 2025 will provide even deeper insights into AM applications in specific industries. At Additive4Industry (Hall 12.0, B01), the VDMA’s Additive Manufacturing working group will present valuable AM applications from the mechanical engineering sector. The BE-AM Symposium (November 19 in the Portalhaus, room Transparenz) and corresponding special showcase (11.0, F49) will cover developments in the increasingly important field of AM in the construction industry.
The AM Art Space (Hall 11.0, D82), organised in cooperation with SUTOSUTO, will focus on the combination of Additive Manufacturing and art. The AM Innovation and Standards Summit at Formnext (Hall 4.0, room Europa), which will take place the day before the trade fair (November 17) in cooperation with ASTM International, will focus on international norms and standards. The keynotes, meanwhile, will primarily address industry-specific approaches, success stories, and challenges in the qualification and certification of AM.
In the Start-up Area (Hall 11.0, D62) and at the Young Innovators joint booth of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Hall 12.1, B39), young, innovative companies will have the chance to present themselves and make contacts, including with potential investors and partners. These firms will also introduce themselves at a Pitchnext event scheduled for 2:15 pm on the Industry Stage (Hall 11.0, D72) on November 18.
The Career Area in Hall 11.0 will provide information about current job opportunities in AM to those seeking a new challenge. In addition to the openings posted on the Job Wall, attendees will have the opportunity to receive career advice and have their professional headshots taken on November 20.
Formnext Awards
The Formnext Awards will once again honour innovative young companies, sustainable business ideas, and groundbreaking technologies in six different categories. The finalists’ ideas will be presented on the Formnext website, as well as at Formnext itself. Attendees are invited to participate in an online voting process to determine the winners. These will then be announced during the award ceremony scheduled for 4:20 pm on the Industry Stage on Thursday, November 20.
Partner country: Spain
This year’s partner country will present itself with the help of numerous exhibitors at Formnext 2025. The Spanish AM industry is particularly strong in the areas of AM systems, materials, and R&D.
Those interested in attending can register here.
