Formnext 2024 took place in Frankfurt/Main in Germany from November 19 to 22, 2024. With numerous world premieres and groundbreaking innovations, the trade fair provided decisive impetus for the future development of industrial production towards greater efficiency, productivity and sustainability. At the trade fair for additive manufacturing, the expansion of application areas as well as faster and more cost-effective AM production played a major role. This was reflected not only in the presentations of the exhibitors and this year's partner country Australia, but also in the extensive supporting program and lecture series on additive manufacturing.

864 exhibitors meet over 34,000 trade visitors

Despite a challenging economic environment and global uncertainties, Formnext 2024 has confirmed its leading position. The 864 exhibitors, 61 percent of whom came from abroad, exchanged ideas on additive manufacturing with 34,404 trade visitors. Almost half of the interested parties came from abroad. From medical and dental technology to the packaging, automotive and mechanical engineering industries, as well as architecture, aerospace and many other sectors: the varied supporting program and the various special shows demonstrated the broad applicability of additive manufacturing across numerous industries. Visitors were able to discover groundbreaking solutions that help them to improve production processes and make them future-proof.

With a multitude of world premieres and exciting new developments along the entire process chain, the exhibitors paved the way for an even broader range of applications for additive manufacturing in the future. For the manufacturers of AM systems, productivity was at the top of the agenda. This was demonstrated by new solutions in the field of automation or specialized systems for special applications. At the same time, the megatrend of sustainability continued to play a decisive role. This was evident in everything from the exhibition stand, which was made from sustainable materials, to the equipment for material recycling.

Inspiring success story: Formnext guides technologies to industrial maturity

Formnext has once again proven its pioneering status this year: “With an unparalleled variety of innovations and leading minds from the AM industry, it shows how modern production technologies can be used to drive companies and ultimately the economy forward,” says Sascha F. Wenzler, Vice President of Formnext at Mesago Messe Frankfurt, the organizer. Christoph Stüker, Vice President of Formnext at Mesago Messe Frankfurt, adds: “In close collaboration with the dynamic AM community, Formnext brings the industry together, constantly defines new areas of application, and brings technologies to industrial maturity. In this way, the exhibition provides crucial momentum and demonstrates how innovative solutions can be developed even in challenging times.”

Visitor feedback on the trade fair for additive manufacturing

Visitors were also enthusiastic about the development of Formnext and the numerous innovations from exhibitors: Artur Gutwin, design engineer at Hailo Wind Systems: “My visit to Formnext has shown me that Additive Manufacturing offers ever greater possibilities! The quality of components and surfaces, the speed of printing and the variety of materials are constantly increasing. And let’s not forget to mention: The diversity of exhibitors is also growing continually!” Anand Kumar Venkataswamy, Managing Director Additive Industries PVT, emphasizes: “This is the first time I experienced Formnext. It was fantastic to see all the development and advancement in 3D Printing technologies and support services. It feels like the global market is booming.”

Formnext Awards 2024

Formnext 2024 has once again significantly expanded its already extensive supporting program. The further developed award concept with visitor voting has become one of the trendsetters of the show. Awards were given in six different categories. The respective winners were honored at a festive awards ceremony on November 21:

• Axolotl Biosciences (Start-up Award)
• Oryx Medicals (Rookie Award)
• Fraunhofer IGCV (Revolution Award), 
• Siemens / 3D-Process joint project (Design Award)
• Ceratizit (Sustainability Award)
• AM of Bones University of Stuttgart (“Ambassador” Award).

High-level international presence

“Here we met exactly the people we had hoped to meet! We enjoyed numerous high-level discussions with new international users from the industry, both by appointment and spontaneously. This is further proof that Formnext is the 3D Printing industry's most important touchpoint for users worldwide,” said Norbert Gall, Head of Marketing at Lithoz.

Sandy R. Sirotic, Territory Sales Manager D/A/CH, Atomization & Equipment, EMEA at Linde AMT, concludes: “We were pleasantly surprised by the number of visitors and the noticeably full aisles from the very first day. And also by the high quality of the often very cooperative meetings that will support our business. We have also been able to strengthen our existing customer relationships – something that is all the more important in difficult economic times.” The next Formnext will take place in Frankfurt am Main from November 18 to 21, 2025.