Ten years of collaboration, innovation, and industry-driven progress in AM. Bringing together experts from industry, research, healthcare, mobility, defense, and technology, the event once again demonstrated the unique strength of the network: connecting people, sharing knowledge, and turning ideas into real-world applications.

Let us recap:

1. Women in AM: Empowering People, Careers, and Change

We started with the Women in AM Summit, creating a welcoming space for the female representatives of the AM industry. Across presentations and interactive sessions, one message stood out: technology transformation is ultimately driven by people.

A recurring theme was the importance of change management. As AM continues to mature and digitalization accelerates, organizations must not only implement new technologies but also support employees, teams, and leaders through the transformation process.

One of the highlights was the highly interactive Women & AI coaching session hosted by Urvashi Gunputh, which sparked lively discussions about how AI is already influencing daily work and how professionals can leverage it to increase productivity and create new opportunities.

 

2. A Network Driving Innovation from Defense to Aerospace, Pharma & Healthcare

The diverse agenda showcased how AM continues to expand across industries.

During the defense focus sessions, Martin Huber (EDA), Marc Fette (CTC GmbH/An Airbus Company) & Paula Queipo (IDONIAL) discussed the growing importance of distributed manufacturing and resilient supply chains. Insights from Tom Thorvaldsen (Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI)) illustrated how AM is becoming a strategic capability for maintaining equipment readiness and enabling decentralized production.

Aerospace applications were highlighted by Svenja Pestotnik (Liebherr-Aerospace), who presented real-world qualification and serial production use cases. Her presentation demonstrated how rigorous qualification strategies and stable manufacturing processes are enabling certified AM parts to enter long-term production environments. The message was clear: industrial adoption succeeds when qualification is treated as an integral part of the process, not as an afterthought.

In healthcare, Prof Dr Erwin Keeve (Charité Berlin) challenged the audience to rethink innovation from the hospital perspective. While many technology providers focus on developing solutions for surgeons, successful implementation requires a deeper understanding of hospital processes and workflows. Technology alone is not enough; solutions must address clearly defined clinical and operational needs.

The pharmaceutical sector brought a similar perspective. Dominic Duda emphasized that scaling additive manufacturing in pharma requires overcoming not only technical and regulatory barriers but also economic and human challenges. Future success will depend on professionals capable of bridging expertise across both AM and pharmaceutical industries.

Another important example of collaborative impact came from the project DigiZug3D, presented by Maximilian Kunkel (Siemens), demonstrating how joint network initiatives can contribute to advancing qualification and approval processes through proof of technology quality and reproducible results.

 

3. Artificial Intelligence as the Thread Connecting the Event

If one topic connected almost every session, it was artificial intelligence.

The dedicated AI panel generated some of the most provocative discussions of the event. Panelists explored questions surrounding automation, productivity, workforce transformation, and the future role of humans in increasingly AI-driven industries. Statements such as “AI will replace assistant and junior-level positions” sparked intense debate about how organizations should prepare for changing workforce requirements.

The discussions extended beyond technology into broader societal questions: Which jobs are at risk? How can companies use AI responsibly? And how can organizations combine human expertise and AI capabilities to create value rather than disruption?

Adding further perspective, industry analyst Joris Peels examined the intersection of AI and AM in his presentation “Do Androids 3D Print Electric Sheep?”, encouraging participants to think critically about where AI can create real value within AM workflows.

The strong interest and engagement around AI made one thing clear: this is a topic MGA will continue to explore with its members in the years ahead.

 

4. An Unforgettable Oktoberfest Celebration

No MGA Annual Meeting would be complete without a memorable social event. This year’s “3D Evening Event: Drink, Dine & Dance goes Oktoberfest” exceeded expectations.

Participants enthusiastically embraced the dress code, with countless Dirndls and Lederhosen creating an authentic Oktoberfest atmosphere. Accompanied by live music from VOLXROXX and plenty of opportunities to continue conversations in a relaxed setting, the evening perfectly reflected the collaborative spirit that has defined MGA for the past decade.

 

5. The True Value of the Network

While the presentations delivered valuable insights, many participants agreed that the true strength of the event lies in the conversations between sessions, during networking breaks, and in the smaller discussion groups that naturally form throughout the two days.

The MGA Annual Meeting once again felt like a class reunion for the fAMily: a trusted environment where competitors become collaborators, challenges are discussed openly, and new partnerships emerge.

Of course, we also had to take care of the administrative parts at the General Assembly. Every two years, the members vote for the Executive Board as well as the auditor of the network. We are happy to announce Chairman of the Board Jens Abromeit, Vice Chairman Torsten Wehrkamp, and Board Members Welf-Guntram Drossel and Max Witjes, alongside the appointment of Bettina Stein as auditor. We look forward to working with you!

A special thanks to our partners and supporters that made this event possible:

Siemens Mobility, Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH, KSB, Composite Technology Center (CTC GmbH), Formnext, AM| Additive Manufacturing Forum, Metal Additive Manufacturing Magazine, and 3D ADEPT.

During the past decade, the network has worked on technical white papers, data sheets, standards, and collaborative projects, and has been an advocate for international standardization activities as well as the partner of major industry events – and we will continue these efforts!

As we enter our second decade, the mission remains unchanged: accelerating the industrial adoption of AM through collaboration, knowledge sharing, and joint innovation. If the discussions in Berlin were any indication, the future of AM is not only bright, but also increasingly connected.

 

Need the presentations or more pictures? As a participant, you can download them here: https://events.mga-net.com/downloads/