Another edition of Formnext has just come to a close, and not just any edition, but the tenth anniversary of the trade show. It was a great opportunity to take stock of market developments, the direction the industry is taking, and the latest trends. What notable events took place at Formnext 2025? What should we take away from it? It’s time to take stock and share our view of the event. Last year, the trend was toward stagnation, with the market suffering from the geopolitical situation and a conflict-ridden global climate. This situation has not changed much, and we remain in a rather anxiety-provoking situation, but we are pleasantly surprised by this new Formnext because, on paper, it was not necessarily obvious—fewer exhibitors (803 compared to 864 in 2024), notable absences, smaller stands, etc.
Among the major trends observed, metal additive manufacturing continues to feature strongly, with numerous announcements concerning various processes. We can also highlight the dominance of the Chinese market in the polymer desktop 3D printing segment, which was already very strong in 2024. Finally, there is no denying the predominant place of additive manufacturing applications at this trade show, but these are mature, tested, and proven applications. We are truly in a phase of adopting 3D technologies in increasingly demanding environments.
Many visitors walked the aisles of the trade show
Key Takeaways
Before sharing our impressions of the show and diving into some notable trends, here are a few announcements that punctuated these four days. First, Formnext 2025 was a good opportunity to revisit the place of additive manufacturing in the architecture and construction sectors. A dedicated space, coordinated by BE-AM, highlighted several examples of applications, demonstrating the full potential of 3D technologies in these markets, whether for concrete or recycled plastics. We saw structures designed using fishing nets and date pits.
The show also recognized several initiatives at the Formnext Awards. Six trophies were awarded—Design, AMbassador, (R)evolution, Rookie, Start-up, and Sustainability. We had the opportunity to meet the winner of the Start-Up Award, PERFI Technologies—stay tuned for the full interview! You can view the list of winners HERE.
The trophies from this year. (Photo credits: Copyright Mesago Messe Frankfurt, Marc Jacquemin)
Metal Additive Manufacturing and Robotic Processes
This trend is not new—last year, we already discussed the important role played by metal 3D technologies. But we couldn’t ignore it this year: a dozen exhibitors unveiled their new metal machines, covering all processes. The key benefits are productivity and repeatability. The focus is on industrialization, and the goal is to promote its adoption in the value chain.
Manufacturers are also looking for greater volume: Gefertec presented a WAAM machine capable of designing parts measuring 1,200 x 1,200 x 1,200 mm; AddUp announced a future solution with a volume of 750 x 750 x 1,000 mm, while EOS increased the size of the build plate on its new 3D printer by 25%. These are just a few examples that show that metal additive manufacturing has reached a new milestone.
Metal additive manufacturing was at the heart of discussions at the show (Photo credits: Mesago)
And that’s not the only process. On the polymer side, we saw many robotic arms in the aisles of the show, whether mounted on 3D printers in containers or simply attached to a robot in an open environment. Again, this is nothing new, but as you can see, the industry is looking to consolidate its achievements and technological innovations. Maturity is key. We therefore saw solutions from Caracol, WASP, CMS, Breton, and Moi Composites—all Italian companies, incidentally—capable of designing large, complex, and durable structures. An interesting point is their material compatibility, as users will be able to use recycled and recyclable polymers, as well as carbon fiber or glass fiber reinforced plastics.
A Structured Asian Market
If you walked through the aisles of Formnext, you couldn’t have missed the buzz in Hall 12.1 in aisles C and D on the south side. Bambu Lab, Creality, and Elegoo had stands that were constantly busy, further proof that Chinese manufacturers have been able to capture the demand from users looking for desktop 3D printing solutions. This is a comment that can be made about the Chinese market more generally: industrial manufacturers have nothing to be ashamed of either – BLT, Farsoon, and E-Plus 3D also had large stands. In total, this edition featured 95 Chinese exhibitors – by comparison, there were 54 American and 39 French exhibitors.
View from the Bambu Lab stand before the launch of a new printer (Photo credits: 3Dnatives)
Mature Applications
Sascha F. Wenzler, Vice President of the trade fair, kicked off this year’s event by stating: “This year, Formnext is showcasing more applications and more materials, with a real emphasis on maturity. Exhibitors are presenting a wider range of parts, with sectors such as aerospace, defense, medical, and mechanical engineering clearly standing out.” And it’s true that as we walked through the aisles of the show, we were struck by the number of parts on display—some exhibitors had deliberately chosen not to have any machines on their stands. We could clearly see that these parts are used in different industries, that they are real-world applications, and that they face varying degrees of constraints. As a result, we saw a lot of parts for aerospace, rail, and medical applications.
This maturity was also evident in the discussions we had throughout the show. We had some concerns and questions about this edition, as the market has suffered in recent years and some key players did not attend. Unsurprisingly, Arburg, Nexa3D, and Forward AM were missing this year—historically, these three companies have occupied a large part of the show. The absence of Markforged, nTop, Roboze, and Photocentric was more surprising. Finally, brands such as UltiMaker were particularly discreet at this 10th edition, confirming our point about the structure of the Asian market.
Examples of 3D printed pieces at the BE-AM booth
However, this did not prevent us from having a very positive feeling and constructive discussions for the future. The general atmosphere was very good and many exhibitors told us how satisfied they were with the quality of the discussions they had. We sense that there is a slight upturn in the market and the next few years will be decisive for the industry. We do not expect rapid growth, but rather gradual growth.
It should be remembered that additive manufacturing represents only a very small part of the manufacturing market in the broad sense, and it will be very interesting to see how 3D technologies can be further integrated intelligently into this larger ecosystem. We have also seen a growing number of solutions combining 3D printing and so-called traditional manufacturing techniques: there is undeniably a place to be taken, and we hope to see even more hybrid machines next year!
Some stands only presented applications (Photo credits: 3Dnatives)
One thing is certain: we are eagerly awaiting the eleventh edition! In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts on Formnext 2025 in the comments section of the article if you were there. You can also find us on Facebook or LinkedIn! Plus, don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter to get the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox. You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.