Tag Archives: Additive Manufacturing

formnext, Press Release

Formnext Turns 10! And It’s Bigger, Bolder, and Brilliantly Additive Than Ever

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Frankfurt’s iconic tech mecca is lighting up the entire AM world with an expanded programme, more gadgets and gear than ever, and enough buzz to make even the most jaded engineer’s pulse quicken. Here’s everything you need to know if you’re heading to Formnext 2025 — or watching from afar.

Three Stages, One Purpose: Exploring AM’s Bright Future

Formnext 2025 isn’t just about rows of 3D printers humming away like digital sewing machines — though, let’s be honest, we do love that too. It’s about conversations that shape the future.

  • Application Stage (Hall 11.1): From rocket engines to robot arms and even orthopaedic orthoses (try saying that after a few Glühweins), this is where AM meets real-world problems. Focused firmly on cost-effective innovation, this stage is a must for SMEs looking to dip their toes into the world of 3D production.

  • Industry Stage (Hall 11.0): Topics like sustainability, Design for AM, and even AI-designed consumer goods take centre stage here. Highlights include a keynote retrospective on the last decade of AM and forward-looking discussions on decentralised production – a very big deal as global supply chains continue to shift.

  • Technology Stage (Hall 12.1): This is where the nerds (my people!) gather to go deep. Think DED tech, large-format plastic printing, and data-driven design. Pack a notebook.

New This Year: Tours, Livestreams &… a Quiz Show?

Formnext 2025 is not content with “business as usual”. The organisers have added a host of interactive new formats that are both educational and entertaining.

  • Guided AM Tours: Focusing on post-processing (a criminally underappreciated stage in AM), these 90-minute guided walks will be led by experts. Wednesday tours are in German, Thursday in English. No sign-ups, just first-come, first-served — so set an alarm.

  • Show and Telling LIVE: YouTube’s own 3D Printing Nerd will be broadcasting live on Tuesday. If you’ve ever wanted to geek out in real time with a global AM celeb, now’s your chance.

  • Ultimate Additive Quiz Show: Because why not have a game show for engineers? Expect equal parts trivia, tension, and titanium.

From Mechanical Marvels to Mushroom Mycelium: The Special Showcases

Here’s where Formnext really flexes its muscles. The 2025 edition will showcase AM in every industry you can imagine:

  • Additive4Industry (Hall 12.0): Mechanical engineering applications, brought to you by the VDMA.

  • BE-AM Symposium: Construction gets the AM treatment — and yes, that means 3D printed buildings.

  • AM Art Space: SUTOSUTO are back to blur the line between technology and art.

  • AM Innovation & Standards Summit (17 Nov): Standards, compliance, and certification may not be sexy — but they’re essential.

And let’s not forget the Start-up Area and Young Innovators Booth, where tomorrow’s biggest ideas take their first steps. If you’re an investor or just love spotting the next big thing, bring business cards.

Democratising 3D Printing

A real theme running through this year’s show is accessibility. Whether it’s via desktop 3D printers popping up in more industrial contexts or the Discover3DPrinting seminars for curious newcomers, Formnext is making AM approachable for businesses of all sizes.

There’s even a Career Area with job walls, professional headshots, and career advice — because nothing says “ready for your next move” like a headshot next to a 3D printed turbine blade.

The Formnext Awards – AM’s Red Carpet Moment

Awards aren’t just for Hollywood. The Formnext Awards shine a spotlight on groundbreaking technologies, bold young companies, and sustainable solutions — across six hotly contested categories. The twist? You get to help choose the winners via online voting. Cue the drama.

Partner Country 2025: Spain Steps Into the Spotlight

This year’s partner country is Spain, and it’s not just bringing paella and passion. With around 30 companies showcasing breakthroughs in AM systems, materials, and R&D, Spain is strutting its stuff on the global AM stage — and rightly so.

When, Where, and Why You Should Be There

Frankfurt am Main
18–21 November 2025
www.formnext.com/visitors

Whether you’re a long-time Formnext fanatic or a first-time visitor still figuring out what “DED” stands for, this year promises to be unforgettable. Ten years in, and Formnext shows no sign of slowing down — in fact, it’s evolving just as quickly as the technology it celebrates.

So dust off your best trade fair shoes, charge your phone (you’ll need it), and get ready to celebrate a decade of additive excellence.

Have you been to Formnext before? What are you most looking forward to this year? Drop your thoughts

3D Printing, additive manufacturing, Anycubic, formnext, Gadget Man, Matt Porter, The Gadget Man

Anycubic Teases the Kobra S1 Max Combo – A New Chapter for Multi-Colour Printing (and I’ll Be Seeing More at Formnext!)

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Well, this is exciting. The lovely folks at Anycubic have been in touch again, and this time they’ve got something rather special lined up for the 3D-printing world. If you’ve been following my recent adventures in the workshop — shelves of resin bottles, spools of filament, and printers humming away like a busy beehive — you’ll know I’ve been especially taken with Anycubic’s approach to innovation lately.

And now, they’ve gone and done it again.

Introducing the Kobra S1 Max Combo

A brand-new machine built to push desktop 3D-printing further — louder, brighter, more colourful, and more capable of serious engineering-grade work.

This is not just a quiet upgrade. This is one of those big leaps.

Kobra S1 Max Combo
Kobra S1 Max Combo
Kobra S1 Max
Kobra S1 Max

What Makes It Stand Out?

The expanded spec list from the official campaign page reveals some key details:

  • Up to 16-colour printing: Start with one ACE 2 Pro module for 4 colours; combine up to four for the full 16-colour capacity.

  • Huge build volume: 350 × 350 × 350 mm.

  • Enclosed, actively-heated chamber up to 65 °C. Hotbed up to 120 °C, hotend up to 350 °C.

  • Hardened-steel hotend (0.4 mm standard with extra 0.6 mm included), optional 0.25 mm brass / 0.8 mm hardened steel nozzles.

  • CoreXY motion system, active carbon-filter air purification, WiFi6/Ethernet support, 720p monitoring, spaghetti-recognition AI, U-disk/app control.

  • Materials covered: from PLA/PETG/TPU right up to engineering-grades like ABS, ASA, PC, PA, PA6-CF, PC-CF/GF, PET-CF.

  • Multi-language interface (English, Chinese, German, Russian, Spanish, French, Italian, Korean, Portuguese).

Put simply: whoever said “desktop printers are only for PLA” is going to have a rethink when this lands.

Early Bird Deal (This One’s Actually Worth It)

Anycubic are running a clever early-bird scheme:

  • Pay £50 now → receive £100 discount off the launch price (5th November to 24th November)

  • After that, the pricing rolls through phased levels — each with perks (as previously noted).

    • £749 (25 Nov-1 Dec) with £400 worth of perks

    • £799 (2 Dec-25 Dec) with £350 perks

    • £849 (26 Dec-31 Jan) with £300 perks

    • £949 (from 1 Feb) with £200 perks

So yes — if you’re thinking about it, the earlier the better.

And Here’s the Extra Bit I’m Excited About…

I’ll be in Frankfurt on the 18th November attending formnext — the global additive-manufacturing expo. It’s basically the Glastonbury of 3D printing: people everywhere talking filament, lasers, printheads, sintering furnaces — heavenly stuff.

I’m absolutely planning to track down Anycubic while I’m there and get a closer look at the Kobra S1 Max Combo in the flesh. Expect photos, impressions, maybe even first-hand print samples — all coming your way.

If you’ve got questions you’d like me to ask the Anycubic team directly, let me know in the comments.

Final Thoughts

This is shaping up to be a very compelling machine:

✔ Larger build volume
✔ Multi-colour support baked in
✔ Enclosed, CoreXY, heated chamber = better reliability
✔ Designed for real materials, not just for show

If it delivers what the specs promise, this could be one of the stand-out printers of 2025 — especially for makers and small business production.

I’ll bring back everything I learn at Formnext — stay tuned.

—

Matt Porter – The Gadget Man
Currently surrounded by printers. Not sorry.

2025, additive manufacturing, formnext, Gadget Man

Formnext 2025: Tickets Now Open for the World’s Leading 3D Printing Expo

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Frankfurt is getting ready to host the world’s largest 3D printing and Additive Manufacturing (AM) event once again. From 18–21 November 2025, Formnext will transform the Messe Frankfurt exhibition halls into a showcase of innovation, collaboration, and real-world applications across industries.

This year promises over 800 exhibitors, including some of the biggest names in the AM world alongside a healthy mix of start-ups and research groups. Expect plenty of world premieres, live demonstrations, and a packed programme across aviation, aerospace, engineering, jewellery, watches, and more.

Spain takes centre stage as the partner country for 2025, bringing around 30 companies to Frankfurt. The Spanish AM sector has been growing rapidly and plays an interesting role as a link between Europe and Latin America, particularly strong in systems, materials, and research.

The Gadget Man will be attending formnext
The Gadget Man will be attending formnext

The supporting programme looks just as impressive as the show floor itself. Three stages will run throughout the event, each with a different focus: industry trends, real-world applications, and the latest technologies. Seminars, talks, and showcases will cover everything from large-format 3D printing to data-driven design and construction AM. Add to that the Formnext Awards, start-up pitches, career opportunities, and networking events, and it’s clear this isn’t just an exhibition – it’s the meeting point for the global AM community.

I’ll be there on Tuesday 18 November for the Press Breakfast and then I’m looking forward to catching up with many of the 800 companies, checking out the latest announcements and exploring the halls. It’s always fascinating to see how far the technology has come, and this year looks set to offer plenty of inspiration.

Tickets are available now from formnext.com/visitors, with an early-bird discount running until 21 October.

2025, 3D Printing, Business, Gadget Man, Technology

Spain Joins Formnext 2025 as Partner Country, Highlighting its Role as a Global AM Powerhouse

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The world of Additive Manufacturing (AM) is about to experience an exciting shift as Spain takes centre stage as the partner country at Formnext 2025. Running from 18–21 November 2025 in Frankfurt, the world’s premier exhibition for AM technologies will showcase the best of Spain’s dynamic AM sector, solidifying its role as a vital player in global manufacturing.

Spain Joins Formnext 2025 as Partner Country, Highlighting its Role as a Global AM Powerhouse
Spain Joins Formnext 2025 as Partner Country, Highlighting its Role as a Global AM Powerhouse

Spain: An Emerging Bridge Between Europe and South America

Spain’s strategic geographical location on the Iberian Peninsula positions it uniquely to connect Europe and South America, making it an ideal partner for this year’s Formnext. With over 30 Spanish exhibitors attending Formnext 2024, Spain has long been a key participant. According to Sascha F. Wenzler, Vice President at Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH, Spain exemplifies how AM can drive growth and innovation even during challenging times.

“Spain’s AM sector is diverse, rapidly growing, and packed with innovation, making it an ideal partner,” said Wenzler. “We’re thrilled to have such incredible AM companies join us in showcasing the next generation of manufacturing technologies.”

A Flourishing AM Industry with Global Impact

With more than 1,200 people employed in the AM sector, Spain is experiencing double-digit growth rates every year. As per the Wohlers Report 2024, 1.5% of the world’s 3D printers are installed in Spain. Companies such as HP Printing and Computing, Meltio, Triditive, and Reinforce 3D are leading the charge, contributing to a highly innovative ecosystem.

The AM sector also benefits from Spain’s robust manufacturing tradition. With a 7.3% increase in production since 2014, Spain outpaces its European neighbours like France and Germany, where manufacturing output has stagnated. This growth has translated into significant revenue, with the machine-tool sector reporting record sales of €2.157 billion in 2023.

Key Industry Players: ADDIMAT and IAM3DHUB

Two major players driving AM adoption in Spain—ADDIMAT and IAM3DHUB—are partnering with Formnext 2025 to further showcase Spain’s influence on the global stage.

  • ADDIMAT, founded in 2014, operates under the AFM Cluster and comprises over 100 companies across the AM value chain, from machine manufacturers to material suppliers.
  • IAM3DHUB, based in Barcelona and managed by Leitat, supports companies with AM integration, offering services ranging from feasibility studies to strategic implementation.

These organisations have been instrumental in positioning Spain as a hub of Industry 4.0, fostering innovation across various sectors, including automotive, aerospace, and healthcare.

Strong AM Adoption Across Key Industries

Spain’s AM adoption rate is soaring, with 96% of production companies acknowledging AM’s role in speeding up product development, according to a joint study by HP and 3dbpm Research. This has led to impressive growth in machine and service sales, which increased by 24.5% and 36.2%, respectively, in 2022.

AM applications are particularly thriving in industries like aviation, automotive, and healthcare, with innovations such as custom-fitted 3D-printed shoes, patient-specific implants, and surgical guides.

A Platform for Global Recognition

Formnext 2025 will serve as a global platform for Spain’s AM companies to highlight their contributions and innovations, helping them expand their international reach. The event will also include special exhibitions and networking opportunities designed to facilitate further growth.

To explore Spain’s journey in AM and its impact on global manufacturing, don’t miss the special edition of Formnext Magazine in September 2025.

Stay tuned for more updates on Formnext 2025, where cutting-edge technology, innovation, and growth converge to shape the future of manufacturing.

For more information, visit: Formnext.com