It’s always such a pleasure to reconnect with our members and partners, meet inspiring new people, and share ideas about the future of Additive Manufacturing AM. This year at Formnext was no exception – it was a vibrant showcase of technology, collaboration, and vision.
Highlights from Our Booth
As always, we teamed up with AMBER from Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH – a partnership we truly value. Together, we created a space for meaningful conversations and knowledge exchange.
One of the stars at our booth was the Core One L from Prusa Research, which sparked lively discussions about how European and Asian markets compare in terms of price and performance.
Our Managing Director, Stefanie Brickwede, joined a panel alongside Joseph Prusa to talk about the future of AM – a fantastic opportunity to exchange perspectives. And yes, our festive MGA cookie cutters were a hit – did you manage to grab one?
RAILiability & Friends
We hosted a very successful RAILiability & Friends meeting, followed by a lovely dinner – huge thanks to Martin Stevens for leading with such dedication.
We were thrilled to welcome colleagues from Wiener Linien, Wiener Stadtwerke GmbH, and NETINERA Deutschland GmbH, showing that interest in AM for rail is growing rapidly.
The main topic? Large-format printing with pellets – a technology with huge potential for railways and local transport companies.
Highlights included:
- Joint experiences shared by ÖBB, Bosch Rodez Manufacturing and Services, and Deutsche Bahn, plus impressive use cases from Alstom.
- Presentation of a major funding project submitted in September to promote AM in the railway sector across four pillars – with transferable insights for other industries.
- Discussion on printing service providers and the need for consistent quality standards. Thankfully, our network created the 52920 standard, and congratulations to Alstom for successfully completing the audit!
Defence Working Group
On November 19, during Formnext, we hosted a meeting of the Defence Working Group, bringing together leading experts from defence and medical sectors to explore how AM can address critical operational needs.
Key moments:
- Martin Huber (European Defence Agency) opened with strategic insights on AM’s role in resilience, obsolescence management, and the need for a unified European strategy supported by standardised training and the AM Power Report.
- Thomas R. Kerk (Rheinmetall) showcased Mobile Smart Factory® and IRIS®print solutions for rapid, deployable AM and digital process management.
- Eugen Musienko (Helmut-Schmidt-Universität) presented on Medical Emergency AM Applications, highlighting AM’s unique potential in defence healthcare.
The session concluded with an interactive discussion on unmet needs, technology requirements, and certification as a key enabler for advancing AM in defence and medical domains.
We are proud that collaboration between MGA and the European Defence Agency has made this topic a central focus within the AM Village.
A heartfelt thank you to Alexander Braune (Nikon SLM Solutions), representatives of the German Armed Forces, Martin Huber, and all our working group members for shaping the future of AM in these critical fields.
Celebrating Innovation
We also celebrated 10 years of the 3D Pioneers Challenge with the release of the book Pushing Boundaries — Celebrating Pioneers of Advanced Technologies. Covering virtually all aspects of AM, it’s an excellent resource and a perfect Christmas gift for AM enthusiasts.
Looking Ahead
Formnext 2025 was a testament to the strength and creativity of the AM community. Thank you all for your trust, support, and engagement – even when finding space for everyone was a challenge!
We’re already looking forward to Formnext 2026 and, of course, our 10-year MGA celebration in Berlin next October.