In a world where manufacturing is being redefined by cutting-edge technology, the announcement of the finalists for the Formnext Additive Manufacturing Awards stands as a testament to the transformative power of innovation and creativity in the industry. Hosted by Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH, this esteemed event, held during the annual Formnext trade fair, showcases the brightest minds and most groundbreaking ideas in additive manufacturing (AM). With winners set to be revealed on November 20, this year’s awards highlight excellence across six distinct categories, each representing a vital pillar of the AM industry. From technological breakthroughs to sustainable practices, the finalists embody the spirit of progress that continues to drive this dynamic field forward. Their work not only addresses real-world challenges but also signals the direction in which modern manufacturing is headed, promising solutions that are as diverse as they are impactful. This unveiling offers a unique glimpse into how AM is evolving, with applications spanning healthcare, energy, education, and beyond, proving that this technology is no longer an emerging concept but a cornerstone of industrial advancement.
Celebrating Innovation in Additive Manufacturing
AMbassador Award: Champions of Growth
The AMbassador Award shines a spotlight on individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing the AM ecosystem through advocacy and education. Among the finalists, Naiara Zubizarreta of ADDIMAT has made remarkable strides in elevating Spain’s presence in the global AM landscape. Through strategic partnerships and community-building efforts, Zubizarreta has fostered a network of over 100 members, amplifying international visibility and collaboration. This achievement underscores the importance of strong leadership in creating a supportive environment for AM growth, positioning regions as key players on the world stage. The impact of such advocacy extends beyond borders, inspiring similar initiatives in other markets and emphasizing the need for a united industry voice to tackle shared challenges and opportunities.
Another finalist, Dr.-Ing Gustavo Melo of RWTH Aachen University, brings a visionary approach to AM education by integrating advanced tools like AR/VR into training programs. This innovative curriculum aligns with the demands of Industry 4.0, ensuring that future professionals are equipped with the skills needed for a data-driven manufacturing era. By incorporating labor market analysis and technology-enhanced learning, Melo’s framework offers a scalable model that could redefine how AM education is delivered worldwide. This focus on forward-thinking training highlights a critical aspect of industry sustainability—preparing a workforce capable of navigating and shaping the future of manufacturing with confidence and expertise.
Irena Heuzeroth of Kunststoff-Zentrum (SKZ) rounds out the category with a practical solution to the growing demand for skilled AM technicians. Through collaboration with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Heuzeroth has developed a certified course that covers the entire AM process chain, from design to production. This initiative addresses a pressing need for qualified specialists, ensuring that businesses have access to talent ready to implement AM solutions effectively. By bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and hands-on application, such educational efforts lay the groundwork for broader adoption of AM technologies across various sectors, reinforcing the foundational role of training in industry progress.
Design Award: Blending Form and Function
The Design Award recognizes projects that masterfully combine aesthetics with practicality, showcasing AM’s potential to create user-centric solutions. Grabbit, developed by Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd, exemplifies this balance by offering a product family tailored for hand impairment rehabilitation. Featuring intuitive shapes like balls and cones, these designs integrate thermal therapy and resistance training features to aid recovery. This thoughtful approach not only enhances functionality but also prioritizes user experience, demonstrating how AM can produce personalized tools that address specific physical needs with elegance and efficiency. The project stands as a powerful reminder of how design innovation can directly improve quality of life.
Another standout in this category is the IKM Flux Vaporizer, a collaborative effort between IKM Flux, EOS, Valland, and ToffeeX, which reimagines energy infrastructure for LNG evaporation. Utilizing generative design, this project achieves doubled measurement accuracy for energy content in global LNG trade, setting a new standard in precision. The fusion of advanced AM techniques with aesthetic considerations ensures that the vaporizer is not only highly functional but also visually striking, fitting seamlessly into complex industrial systems. Such innovation illustrates the broader potential of AM to transform critical infrastructure, where design plays a pivotal role in enhancing performance and reliability across energy sectors.
The Limb Kind Foundation’s initiative in Kenya further highlights the transformative impact of design in AM, focusing on custom prosthetic sockets for children. Leveraging HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology, this project delivers accessible healthcare solutions to underserved regions, improving mobility and dignity for young amputees. The ability to tailor prosthetics to individual needs showcases AM’s unique capacity for personalization, while the focus on accessibility underscores a commitment to social impact. This finalist exemplifies how thoughtful design, paired with cutting-edge technology, can address pressing humanitarian challenges, making a tangible difference in communities far removed from traditional manufacturing hubs.
Pushing Boundaries with Technology
(R)Evolution Award: Game-Changing Solutions
The (R)Evolution Award celebrates AM technologies that redefine traditional manufacturing with significant user benefits. Erofio’s INOV.iQ project, developed in partnership with ENGEL, introduces a fully metal AM mold tool for injection molding that achieves a 75% weight reduction and 30% less energy consumption. This innovation boosts productivity by streamlining processes, offering a glimpse into how AM can optimize industrial applications with lighter, more efficient tools. The implications of such advancements are vast, promising reduced operational costs and environmental impact for manufacturers across various sectors, while setting a benchmark for integrating AM into high-volume production environments.
Another finalist, imes-icore GmbH, pushes boundaries with the CORiTEC Mythos system, which combines additive coating with 5-axis milling for dental restorations. This hybrid approach processes multiple materials with high precision, reducing manual steps and cutting production times significantly. By enhancing reliability and speed, the system addresses key pain points in dental manufacturing, ensuring better outcomes for both practitioners and patients. This technology exemplifies the potential of AM to revolutionize niche markets, where precision and efficiency are paramount, and highlights the growing trend of hybrid solutions that blend additive and subtractive methods for superior results.
Laempe Mössner Sinto GmbH also earns recognition in this category for its binder jetting system used in sand core production at BMW Group. Capable of producing over 1,100 cores daily with automated handling and quality control, this system achieves remarkable speed and accuracy. The integration of AM into such a high-demand industrial process showcases its scalability and ability to meet rigorous standards in automotive manufacturing. This finalist underscores a pivotal shift in how AM is perceived—not just as a prototyping tool, but as a viable solution for mass production, paving the way for broader acceptance in sectors that rely on precision and consistency at scale.
Rookie Award: Fresh Faces of Innovation
The Rookie Award honors emerging talent and recently founded companies bringing bold ideas to the AM landscape. FIDENTIS GmbH, a spin-off from Fraunhofer IGCV, stands out with its multi-material AM process for dental prosthetics. By combining precious and non-precious metals in a single build, this innovation streamlines production and enhances the durability of dental solutions. The ability to merge different materials seamlessly opens new possibilities for customization in dental care, addressing both aesthetic and functional needs. This project reflects the ingenuity of new entrants who are unafraid to tackle complex challenges, contributing fresh perspectives that invigorate the industry.
DIGIFAB’s 3DMyMask, developed in collaboration with IAM3DHUB, targets a critical healthcare need by creating custom silicone masks for premature infants. These masks reduce air leaks by 60%, significantly improving respiratory care in neonatal units. The precision of AM allows for tailored fits that enhance comfort and effectiveness, addressing a niche yet vital area of medical technology. This finalist highlights how even small-scale innovations can have profound impacts, particularly in sensitive fields like pediatric care, where personalized solutions can make a life-changing difference, demonstrating the human-centric potential of AM.
Tesseract Technologies B.V. brings another dimension of innovation to the category with its development of linear motors for FDM machines. These motors offer precise, maintenance-free motion, enhancing build quality and speed in 3D printing processes. By focusing on improving the core mechanics of AM equipment, this finalist addresses foundational challenges that affect overall performance and reliability. Such advancements are crucial for making AM more accessible and efficient for a wider range of users, from hobbyists to industrial operators, signaling the importance of incremental yet impactful contributions from new players in driving the field forward.
Building the Future of AM
Start-up Award: Scalable Ventures
The Start-up Award, supported by Fluxo Technologies, recognizes young companies with business models poised to shape the future of AM. Allonic Ltd. leads with its 3D Tissue Braiding technology, automating the fabrication of robotic subsystems. This approach streamlines the production of complex components, offering scalability for industries reliant on advanced robotics. Meanwhile, Biomotion Technologies FlexCo focuses on standardizing 3D tissue bioprinting for drug screening, ensuring consistent results that could transform pharmaceutical research. Both finalists exemplify how start-ups can target specialized niches with solutions that promise wide-reaching impact, highlighting the entrepreneurial spirit that fuels AM’s evolution. Their ability to address specific yet critical needs points to a maturing ecosystem where innovation is both targeted and ambitious.
nureo AG and OsseoLabs further illustrate the diversity of innovation in this category. nureo AG automates engineering tasks with custom design tools, saving time and ensuring manufacturability in AM processes, which is essential for scaling operations. OsseoLabs, on the other hand, leverages AI to create personalized orthopedic implants, validated in over 250 clinical cases, showcasing the intersection of technology and healthcare. Additionally, PERFI Technologies introduces Volumetric Additive Manufacturing (VAM), producing 3D objects in seconds by solidifying entire components at once, revolutionizing speed and waste reduction in medical device production. These start-ups demonstrate how AM can be a platform for disruptive business models, combining technological prowess with practical applications that address pressing industry demands.
Sustainability Award: Green Innovations
The Sustainability Award honors AM solutions that prioritize environmental responsibility, reflecting a growing industry focus on eco-friendly practices. Continuum Powders sets a high standard by recycling aerospace waste into high-quality metal powders, achieving a staggering 99.7% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional methods. This approach not only minimizes waste but also supports a circular economy, turning scrap into valuable resources for manufacturing. Similarly, EOS GmbH contributes with a filtration system for metal AM that cuts waste and emissions by over 90%, demonstrating how process innovations can significantly lower environmental impact. These efforts highlight a collective push toward sustainability, showing that AM can lead the way in responsible production practices that align with global efforts to combat climate change.
Smart Materials 3D adds another layer to this category by developing biodegradable materials from agro-industrial waste, promoting a circular economy within the AM space. This innovation offers an alternative to traditional plastics, reducing dependency on non-renewable resources and addressing end-of-life product challenges. The emphasis on sustainable materials underscores a broader industry trend where environmental considerations are integrated into every stage of the manufacturing process, from raw inputs to final outputs. Together, these finalists set new benchmarks for what sustainability means in AM, proving that technological advancement and ecological stewardship can go hand in hand, inspiring other sectors to adopt similar principles in their operations.
Reflecting on Industry Milestones
Looking back, the unveiling of the finalists for this year’s Formnext Additive Manufacturing Awards captured a pivotal moment for the industry, showcasing a spectrum of talent and innovation that spanned continents and sectors. The diversity of projects—from sustainable material solutions to life-changing healthcare applications—revealed the depth of creativity and commitment among the nominees. As the awards ceremony unfolded on November 20, it became clear that each category winner had already contributed to a lasting legacy of progress in additive manufacturing. Moving forward, the challenge lies in scaling these innovations to broader markets, ensuring that the benefits of AM reach industries and communities worldwide. Stakeholders are encouraged to invest in education and collaboration, building on the momentum generated by these finalists to foster a skilled workforce and supportive policies. The path ahead involves not just celebrating these achievements, but actively working to integrate AM solutions into everyday manufacturing, addressing global challenges with the same ingenuity and resolve demonstrated by this year’s remarkable contenders.
