Home ❯ article ❯ management ❯ events Log in to Like this Article

formnext: AM Takes Center Stage in Frankfurt

October 29, 2018

0

Comments

Frankfurt, Germany, is the place to be for additive-manufacturing (AM) professionals, as formnext 2018 kicks off November 13 in Hall 3 at Messe Frankfurt. What is expected to be the largest iteration of the world’s largest AM event will boast 550 exhibitors, and 21,000-plus attendees from countries spanning the globe. Visitors will “experience a fusion of additive and more conventional manufacturing technologies unlike any other in the world,” according to show officials, along with a plethora of conference offerings as well as special technology-specific gatherings and unique industry events.

Formnext 2018 promises a who’s who from the areas of design and product development, industrial tooling, production solutions, quality management, and measurement technology, as well as providers of basic materials and experts in component construction. Expertise abounds, as representatives from the following industry sectors will be on hand:

• formnext 2018 Frankfurt Fair Ground Hall 3 (Messe Frankfurt Halle 3) Most Popular Check out these other articles. Management MetalForming LIVE: Webinar Series July 10, 2024 Management MetalForming LIVE: Webinar Series July 10, 2024 Management MetalForming LIVE: On the Shop Floor April 24, 2024 November 13-16 More information on formnext 2018 events, exhibitors and conference sessions, and to register.

  AM machines
• Industrial tooling
• Machining and other complementary processes
• Software
• Design and product development
• Quality management and metrology
• Materials and components
• Finishing
• Training
• R&D

Robust Conference Keynotes and Sessions

Four days of keynote presentations and conference sessions on innovative additive technologies, processes and materials used in automotive, aerospace and medical await formnext attendees. They can immerse themselves in how AM is used and then consider the possibilities for their companies.

November 13 features keynote presentations by experts at German automaker BMW and Stelia, a French provider of primary aircraft structures. After learning from the keynoters how these industry leaders are using AM, attendees have the opportunity to attend six sessions on AM trends and applications in automotive and aerospace, including a look at Audi’s use of selective laser melting at its Metal Additive Manufacturing Center and the design process at Airbus.

November 14 keynotes provide an opportunity to gain a medical-device perspective on 3D printing from Onkos Surgical and to learn from Johnson & Johnson how 3D printing is disrupting and evolving healthcare solutions. Following, a medical session will discuss the use of 3D printing for bone-tissue engineering, prosthetics and anatomical models used in preoperative planning.

November 15 provides an opportunity to consider myriad industrial challenges. Among them:

• Striking the right balance between buying equipment and using service providers;
• Integrating augmented reality, visual reality and robotics;
• Using arc welding and diffusion bonding for AM of tools; and
• Implementing design-for-AM knowledge and experience in product-development efforts.

November 16 explores developments impacting aesthetics as well as metals for addressing post-processing challenges, including a newly developed plasma-electrolytic polishing process developed by Airbus researchers.

Top-Five Startups

Conference Hours Tuesday, November 13: 9 a.m-6 p.m. Wednesday, November 14: 9 a.m-6 p.m. Thursday, November 15: 9 a.m-6 p.m. Friday, November 16: 9 a.m-3:15 p.m.

Showcasing their wares and capabilities at the show, and featured here, are the winners of formnext Startup-Challenge 2018—newer companies offering industry-advancing technologies.

3D Fortify—Boston, MA

The company’s Digital Composite Manufacturing (DCM) is driven by Fluxprint technology, a magnetic 3D-printing process that creates optimized composites, according to 3D Fortify officials. Fluxprint combines magnetics and digital-light-processing 3D printing to produce composite parts. As a part is printed, fibers within the part reportedly magnetically align voxel by voxel to optimize the microstructure. The parts achieve best-in-class resolution and mechanics while reducing time to market as compared to traditional manufacturing, claim company officials.

Aerosint—Liege, Belgium

Aerosint has developed a selective-powder-deposition system to enable full 3D control over material placement in an SLS/SLM process, thus enabling multi-material part production. The product represents an alternate powder recoating system that, instead of uniformly spreading a single powder material, selectively deposits two (or more) powders to form a single layer containing two materials. The company’s powder-deposition technology, combined with proper thermal processing by laser, enables the printing of multi-material parts in various combinations (polymers, metals and ceramics).

AMendate—Paderborn, Germany

AMendate software provides automatic optimization of technical components for AM.

3D Metal Printing Primed for formnext 3DMP’s editors will be onsite, reporting on the latest metal-AM technology and happenings, and posting what we find at www.3Dmpmag.com and on our social-media channels. Be sure to stop by Booth 3.0-J70 to pick up an issue, subscribe to 3DMP, and find information on coming events and other magazine offerings. And, of course, say hi and let us know what’s on your mind. See you in Frankfurt!

The result, according to company officials: organic-looking structures that enable efficient and cost-effective AM production. The software’s core element is an intelligent optimization algorithm that automatically interprets a simulation result and converts it into common CAD exchange formats, thus reducing design lead time.

Kumovis—Munich, Germany

The company has developed 3D printers specifically to produce plastic medical implants. The printers can process high-performance polymers such as PEEK or PPSU, which have been approved for the manufacture of medical products. The Kumovis system is based on the fused-layer manufacturing process, which allows customized, decentralized processing of these plastics and provides considerable scope for design, according to company officials.

Nanogrande—Laval, Quebec, Canada

The company offers what it claims to be the first molecular-scale AM system. The MPL-1 can assemble highly packed multilayers of particles in diameters as small as 1 nm, thus creating a 3D object with unprecedented definition, according to company officials. It can work with a variety of materials, including oxides, metals, wax and polymers. The technology does not require spheroid particles, allowing the creation of layers with fibers, flakes and other unconventional particle shapes, and also can combine various materials to form objects requiring little or no support structure.

Design Competition, Matchmaking, Jobs and More

This year’s theme for the Purmundus Challenge, an international competition for innovative ideas in design, is Preparing for the Future with 3D Printing. The challenge addresses what is technically feasible today in AM with a nod to forward-looking solutions. The best ideas will be presented at formnext 2018 on November 15, when Purmundus Challenge finalists receive their awards. The design award is judged by academia, researchers and industry professionals.

November 14 offers a matchmaking opportunity for exhibitors and attendees via pre-arranged bilateral meetings. The meetings provide an opportunity to generate new, international business contacts; discover innovative technologies; and exchange ideas, projects and innovations with known or new AM partners. All registered companies and research institutions looking for new business, technology or research partners are welcome to participate. Register at www.formnext2018.b2match.io and describe your cooperation offer or request. Participation in this matchmaking event is free of charge.

Formnext also offers opportunities to explore the AM job market and personally meet potential employers. Throughout the day on November 15, recruiting experts will be available to provide tailored, one-on-one career consulting. From there, make your way to any exhibitors that pique your interest and introduce yourself personally to the relevant contacts. And, view current job positions posted by exhibitors on a job wall. At noon at the AM4U stage, exhibitors will present specific career opportunities, and institutes and recruitment agencies also will present their advanced training courses and services. Preregistration for this event is recommended. Make an appointment by e-mailing info@projob.de. Career consulting sessions last approximately 30 min. and are available between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Also this year, the honorary sponsor of formnext, the VDMA Working Group Additive Manufacturing, will present on the AM process chain. Ready4industry will detail various product-development phases, from design to data generation, the building process, post-processing, quality control and implementation of the component. Approximately 150 members of the working group will provide examples of industrial applications and their individual process steps.

Attendees also are invited to attend the International Additive Manufacturing Standards Forum on November 18 from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., followed by a reception. Join leading experts from industry, research institutions, standards-development organizations, professional societies and governments for this event. Experts will address key themes focused on standards development in AM, including recent progress in the development and use of international standards for 3D printing and how employing these standards can help the industry achieve its promised potential. The program will be led by representatives from the German Economics Ministry and the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, and will be moderated by Terry Wohlers, president of Wohlers Associates, Inc. Registration is required.

More information on any of these events. 3DMP

Technologies:

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Start receiving newsletters.