As the world attempts to get a handle on the coronavirus pandemic, we have seen restrictions imposed on public life including a large-scale move toward working from home or, where this is not possible, shift work, as well as numerous cancellations of events. Everyone has their part to play in helping to slow the spread and supporting the health services.
“Due to the coronavirus, the world is facing an unprecedented crisis. In these testing times, however, in addition to concern for family, employees and economic stability, the AM industry in particular is demonstrating strength and solidarity in the fight against the coronavirus,” says Sascha F. Wenzler, Vice President of Formnext, Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH. “AM enables the short-run and location-independent production of medical devices, equipment, and spare parts. In fact, the industry is showing tremendous spirit in terms of design, the free sharing of print data, and also in production itself.”
At the same time, it is clear that people would increasingly like to see a return to normality, both in their private lives and within the business environment. The excellent registration figures for the Formnext 2020 show cause for optimism in this regard.
Hopes high for a fall Show
“We are all counting on the situation to improve over the summer, making Formnext one of the first opportunities for the world of additive manufacturing to come together and exchange ideas in person again,” comments Sascha Wenzler.
With 559 registered exhibitors (as of 2 April 2020), Formnext is sending an optimistic signal for the sustained and innovative further development of additive manufacturing and modern industrial production. As these figures show, interest in Formnext remains at previous year levels despite the economically challenging times, indicating the importance of innovative manufacturing solutions based on industrial 3D printing as a forward-looking and sustainable business sector with good prospects for accelerating the recovery following the present crisis.
The event, which is scheduled to run from 10 to 13 November 2020 in Frankfurt am Main, will showcase the latest innovations from the elite of international companies, including 3D Systems, Additive Industries, AddUp, Arburg, BigRep, Carbon, Desktop Metal, DMG Mori, Envisiontec, EOS, Farsoon, Formlabs, GE Additive, HP, Markforged, Materialise, Renishaw, Sisma, SLM Solutions, Stratasys, Trumpf, Voxeljet, Xerox, XJet, and many more.
The entire modern industrial process chain, from design through materials, software, and post-processing, is already very well represented with internationally renowned companies. Material suppliers like BASF, Evonik, H.C. Starck, Höganäs, Mitsubishi Chemical, and Sandvik will be premiering their latest products – alongside well-known companies in the fields of software, services, and postprocessing, including AM Solutions, Autodesk, Dassault, FIT, GKN Additive, Henkel, Nikon, Otto Fuchs, Postprocess, SMS Group, Zeiss, and many more besides.
Partner country China and a varied program of events
In 2020, China will become the second partner country for Formnext (following the United States last year), with its own delegations and special accompanying program. Formnext 2020 will also see the continuation and expansion of previous popular events, including the special show additive4industry and the joint booth of AG AM in VDMA e.V., the internationally acclaimed Start-Up Challenge, the ideas competition purmundus challenge, the AM4U platform with numerous lectures and career opportunities, and the BE-AM Symposium, which focuses on additive activities in the construction industry. This year, the latest trends and developments in additive manufacturing will also be presented and discussed at the high-caliber conference organized by content partner TCT. Thought leaders, users, and experts alike will give valuable insights into the current and future technical possibilities of additive manufacturing and provide examples of how these can be leveraged.
Background information on Formnext
Formnext is the leading trade fair 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. Formnext is organized by Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH. (formnext.com)
About Mesago Messe Frankfurt
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 160 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. (mesago.com)
Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. With more than 2,600 employees* at 30 locations, the company generates annual sales of around €733 million*. We have close ties with our industry sectors and serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of the Group’s key USPs is its closely knit global sales network, which extends throughout the world. Our 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. Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
*preliminary figures 2019
Background information on TCT (Content Partner)
Established in 1992, TCT Group’s mission is to accelerate design-to-manufacturing innovation. Through global trade shows, conferences, magazines, websites and digital products TCT delivers business-critical insights on the technologies that help manufacturers make better products, more quickly and cost-effectively. Through the TCT Awards TCT celebrates the most innovative products and applications across the design-to-manufacturing process chain. The TCT Group is owned by Rapid News Publications Ltd, part of Rapid News Group. (thetctgroup.com)
Background information on the Working Group Additive Manufacturing (Honorary Sponsor)
Within the Working Group Additive Manufacturing, about 150 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. (am.vdma.org)
Source: Mesago Messe Frankfurt
