Autumn is always the busiest part of the additive manufacturing (AM) events calendar and as organisers, the season can often become a bit of a blur. We are now halfway through and though it feels like the doors have only just closed on TCT Show 2017 followed by the first TCT conference over in Korea at MATOF, we are already preparing to pack our bags for Frankfurt where formnext powered by tct will hold its biggest show to date.
With a 50% increase in exhibitors compared to last year and two huge halls to cover, the four-day show promises to be an exhaustive resource for the entire AM process chain.
There are around 400 exhibitors at this year’s event, and the number of different technologies can be quite overwhelming. Advice? Plan ahead. Our formnext preview in the current issue of TCT Europe will get you started on some of the things that you can expect to see on the show floor but with more launches expected than ever before, it’s good to keep an eye out for anything else that might make a surprise debut. Tip, follow @TCTEvents and #formnext on Twitter for up-to-the-minute alerts.
The global AM elite will be on the show floor, and you can expect product updates from Stratasys, Trumpf, EOS, SLM Solutions, Materialise and many more. Some are being kept under wraps until the event but others are being announced as we speak. Additive Industries is promising a record number of announcements including the world premiere of its Product Removal Module, and SLM Solutions will showcase its new SLM 800 system live. Renishaw will introduce its new RenAM 500Q four-laser metal AM system said to significantly improve productivity, and EOS will debut its EOS P 500, which it claims is the only polymer 3D printing system enabling mass production. formnext will also be the first time we see Concept Laser, Arcam and GE Additive in a huge joint presence on the show floor.
Australian newcomer SPEE3D will be one-to-watch as it unveils its LIGHTSPEE3D system based on cold-spray technology, while chemical giant, Wacker will show its multi-material silicon 3D printing live for the first time. Making its (mainland) European debut, Desktop Metal will be talking about its new rapid cooling technology and fellow low-cost metal AM company, OR Laser will be announcing latest developments to its ORLAS CREATOR system. In addition, XJet will officially launch its Carmel NanoParticle Jetting machine line-up, and Farsoon will drip feed more details of its Continuous Additive Manufacturing Solution (CAMS). Additional machine launches are expected from Anisoprint, Apium, Roboze, Atum, Cubicure, SondaSys and more.
Of course, formnext is not just about additive and the giants of the wider manufacturing world will be there in force, some showing their own AM technologies too, such as DMG Mori, Sodick, Arburg and Matsuura.
Auxiliary AM technology will take up a large portion of the showfloor, showing the necessary processes that take a part from CAD to finished product. There is a lot happening on the materials front with new products from DSM Somos, LPW, Sabic and Ricoh, and on the quality control end of the supply chain, Retsch and Sigma Labs will be showing new technologies. Plus post-processing systems from Solukon, Quill Vogue and formnext Start-up Challenge winner, Additive Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) will be shown alongside new software solutions from the likes of Simufact.
formnext conference
Then you’ve got the extended conference programme which runs concurrently with the exhibition. The TCT conference team has lined up a first-class set of speakers who will deliver exclusive insights across two stages on some of the industry’s key areas including transport, healthcare and supply chain. Highlights include Christoph van Den Eertwegh from Siemens AG on low-volume production with AM, Florens Lichte from Deutsche Bahn on 3D printing spare parts and Bernhard Langefeld at Roland Berger GmbH on the latest trends in metal AM. Plus there will be additional stages throughout including the TCT Introducing Stage highlighting the latest products and innovations.
TCT will of course be on the ground covering all of the latest developments as soon as they drop, along with conference highlights and videos live from the show floor. If there is something in particular you would like us to take a closer look at, drop us an email or tweet @TheTCTMagazine and we will do our best to get it covered.
