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Formnext 2015
Formnext 2015: Product launches take centre stage at Europe’s new exhibition on Additive Manufacturing The much anticipated inaugural “formnext powered by TCT” exhibition took place in Frankfurt from November 17-20, 2015. Squarely aimed at an industrial audience, the event succeeded in attracting almost all the major metal Additive Manufacturing technology suppliers. Whilst aglined as the international exhibition on additive technologies and tool making, there was a real sense that it was the Additive Manufacturing community that most fully embraced this new exhibition concept. As Metal AM magazine’s Nick Williams reports, AM technology suppliers took the opportunity to make a number of new product launches and announcements.
Given the early support that the organisers of formnext, Messago Messe Frankfurt, received from so many leading Additive Manufacturing technology suppliers, it was almost inevitable that this new exhibition was going to be a major success. Once on-site one only had to walk into the entrance area of the impressive Hall 3 at Messe Frankfurt to appreciate the scale of the effort that the industry’s leaders had made to ensure that this event was a truly impressive international showcase of what Additive Manufacturing can offer industry. The exhibition, which featured 232 stands over an area of 14,028 m2 of exhibition space, attracted close to 9,000 visitors from all around the world. What was immediately noticeable from the range of exhibitors is that this event was squarely aimed at those with an interest in Additive Manufacturing for industrial applications, in contrast to consumer driven systems and
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applications. This was further reinforced by the sense that metal Additive Manufacturing was a real driving force at the event, reflecting the fact that as the industry evolves,
the series production of advanced metal components is presenting the greatest opportunity for growth. Whilst almost all AM equipment makers were present, the exhibition
Fig. 1 Opening formnext 2015, from left to right: Johann Thoma (President, Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH), Uwe Behm, (Member of the Executive Board Messe Frankfurt GmbH), Tarek Al-Wazir (MdL Minister of Economics, Energy, Transport and Regional), Oliver Edelmann (Concept Laser GmbH), Wolfgang Marzin (President and CEO, Messe Frankfurt GmbH)
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