Spain is the partner country of Formnext 2025

The strength of the Iberian AM industry is also evident at Formnext, where Spain has been one of the strongest exhibitor countries for years: around 30 Spanish exhibitors presented in Frankfurt in 2024. "We are very much looking forward to an extremely exciting partner country Spain with innovative AM companies. Spain is the best example of how AM ensures growth and new developments even in challenging times and inspires the entire manufacturing industry," says Sascha F. Wenzler, Vice President Formnext at the organizer Mesago Messe Frankfurt.

The AM industry in Spain employs more than 1,200 people and is experiencing double-digit growth every year. According to Wohlers Report 2024, 1.5% of the world's installed industrial 3D printers are located in Spain. "Although the market is still small, the forecasts for the coming years are promising," explains Naiara Zubizarreta, Director of the Spanish 3D printing association Addimat. The Spanish AM industry is very diverse and includes numerous internationally renowned machine manufacturers (HP Printing and Computing, Meltio, Triditive, Reinforce 3D, Supernova and others), numerous suppliers of materials, software and specialized services, as well as a large number of research institutes.

Formnext's partners are the Spanish 3D printing association Addimat and the AM network Iam3DHub. "These two very committed organizations play a crucial role in the Spanish AM industry and will showcase the remarkable potential of the Spanish AM landscape at Formnext 2025 together with their member companies and cooperation partners," adds Christoph Stüker, Vice President Formnext, Mesago Messe Frankfurt.

Addimat is the Spanish association for additive manufacturing and 3D technologies and operates under the umbrella of the AFM Cluster, an industry association that comprises seven sector associations and offers services for the manufacturing industry. Addimat was founded in 2014 to promote the use of additive manufacturing in the Spanish industry. Based in San Sebastian, the association brings together more than 100 companies representing the entire AM value chain, including machine manufacturers, 3D printing service providers, technology centers, material suppliers and end users.

Iam3DHub (International Advanced Manufacturing 3D Hub), based in Barcelona, is an industrial consortium operated and managed by Leitat that serves as a single point of contact for companies implementing AM. It provides comprehensive support, including feasibility analysis, training and strategic implementation, and reinforces Catalonia's extensive efforts to position the region as a hub for Industry 4.0.

Solid development of the Spanish AM sector

"In Spain, the acceptance of 3D printing technologies is very high," explains David Adrover Iglesias, Secretary General of Iam3DHub. He also cites a study by HP and 3dbpm Research, according to which 96% of Spanish manufacturing companies believe that AM accelerates the time-to-market of their products. "This explains why the adoption of 3D printing technologies continues to grow in Spain." In 2022, AM machine sales grew by 24.5% and AM services by 36.2%. Key user industries include aerospace, automotive and healthcare, with various applications ranging from 3D-printed custom shoes to customized implants and prosthetics to surgical guides.

The solid development of the Spanish AM sector is also based on a strong manufacturing industry. According to Eurostat, industrial production in Spain has grown by 7.3% since 2014, while other major European industrialized countries such as France and Germany have stagnated or recorded a decline. AFM, the Spanish machine tool association, also reported record sales of EUR 2,157 million in the machine tool sector for 2023. "Spain has a long tradition in manufacturing, with strong supply chains, distributed capacities and a well-established culture of innovation," explains Naiara Zubizarreta, Director of Addimat.