Formnext 2025: Focus on economical AM applications

With a clear focus on industrial and economically successful AM applications, Formnext 2025 focuses on the concrete competitive advantages that companies achieve through innovative manufacturing solutions. These strengths are becoming increasingly apparent and impressive, especially in mechanical and plant engineering.

Practical examples from the industry

Current evidence of the increasing relevance of industrial AM applications is the compendium published by the VDMA's Additive Manufacturing working group. It brings together a steadily growing number of successful examples from the mechanical engineering sector - from resource-saving production and functional integration to the development of new, AM-optimized components. The collection shows how AM technologies help to master key industrial challenges. Formnext and the VDMA with its working group, which is also the conceptual sponsor of Formnext, are jointly committed to making this potential more visible and anchoring the topic of AM more firmly in the industry.

Stage program: Use cases in the spotlight

A central element of Formnext remains the stage program, which will once again offer exciting perspectives on additive manufacturing on three stages in 2025. Companies and experts who would like to contribute a presentation have until July 31 to apply for the Application and Industry Stages as part of the Call for Speakers.

The Application Stage will focus on practical AM applications from various industries with the aim of making innovations visible and opening up new fields of application. "With the increasing industrialization of additive manufacturing, not only the number but also the importance of economically successful applications is growing," explains Christoph Stüker, Vice President Formnext at Mesago Messe Frankfurt. "Sharing these use cases is essential in order to establish AM in other industries and develop new solutions for specific challenges."

The Industry Stage, on the other hand, highlights overarching topics such as sustainability, digitalization or the use of artificial intelligence in the AM world and thus promotes cross-industry discourse.

Common goal: firmly anchoring AM in the industry

Formnext and VDMA are pursuing the common goal of making the industrial use of additive technologies visible and raising awareness of their economic potential. "We will achieve the desired level of industry awareness if expert networks such as the VDMA and high-profile platforms such as Formnext work together efficiently," says Markus Heering, Managing Director of AG AM at the VDMA.

The VDMA Show Case Area will once again be an integral part of the trade fair in 2025, this time under the motto "Profitable Industrial Solutions". It will showcase examples of how AM solutions are not only technically, but also economically convincing.