Formnext 2022: Unveiling the Future of Digital and Accessible 3D Manufacturing

The highly anticipated Formnext 2022 exhibition officially opened its doors yesterday morning, marking a pivotal moment for the global additive manufacturing industry. The 3Dnatives team was on the ground, immersing themselves in the event’s vibrant atmosphere, capturing every significant development, and bringing you an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at this world-renowned gathering directly from the comfort of your home. Our daily reports, part of the 3D Daily Show series, offer a unique opportunity to stay updated with all the latest news and innovations. Each morning, we’ll deliver a concise yet comprehensive summary of the day’s highlights, featuring insights from various exhibitors. For this inaugural episode of our 3D Daily Show #1, our focus was sharply tuned to the groundbreaking new solutions emerging in the market – technologies that are actively paving the way for an even more digitalized, efficient, and globally accessible manufacturing industry.

Formnext stands as the premier international exhibition and conference dedicated to additive manufacturing and modern industrial production. It serves as an indispensable platform where industry leaders, innovative startups, and enthusiastic professionals converge to showcase their latest advancements, discuss future trends, and foster collaborations that drive the industry forward. The overarching theme observed on this opening day emphasized a clear shift towards democratizing access to high-end manufacturing capabilities. Companies are no longer just improving printer specifications; they are developing integrated ecosystems of hardware, software, and materials that simplify complex processes, reduce barriers to entry, and enable a wider range of users – from small businesses to large enterprises – to leverage the power of 3D printing for their specific needs. This push for digitalization aims to streamline workflows, enhance precision, and ultimately make advanced manufacturing tools available to a broader audience, fostering innovation across various sectors.

Innovators at the Forefront: Formlabs and Markforged Redefine 3D Printing

During our exploration of Formnext’s bustling halls, we had the distinct pleasure of engaging with Formlabs, a company that has consistently championed the expansion of access to digital manufacturing. Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, with a significant global footprint including offices in Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, Hungary, France, and across the United States, Formlabs has established itself as a beacon of innovation. Their mission is clear: to empower any user, regardless of their technical background, to efficiently produce a diverse array of high-quality parts. Formlabs has become the professional 3D printer of choice for a vast spectrum of professionals, including engineers seeking precision prototypes, designers bringing complex geometries to life, manufacturers optimizing production workflows, and decision-makers looking for reliable, scalable solutions. Their unwavering commitment to innovation has propelled them to become the largest supplier of professional 3D printers utilizing both stereolithography (SLA) and selective laser sintering (SLS) processes, technologies renowned for their accuracy and material versatility.

Stereolithography (SLA) by Formlabs utilizes a high-precision laser to cure liquid resin layer by layer, resulting in incredibly smooth surface finishes and exceptional detail, making it ideal for intricate models, functional prototypes, and highly aesthetic parts. This technology is often favored in fields requiring intricate designs, such as dentistry, jewelry, and product development, where fine features and accuracy are paramount. Conversely, their Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology employs a powerful laser to fuse powdered materials, typically robust polymers like Nylon, creating strong, durable, and isotropic parts suitable for end-use applications and batch production. SLS is particularly valuable for creating complex geometries without the need for support structures, allowing for greater design freedom and material efficiency. The combination of these two powerful additive manufacturing methods underscores the breadth of Formlabs’ offerings, catering to diverse industrial demands and reinforcing their position as a leader in making professional-grade 3D printing more accessible to a global clientele.

Our discussions also extended to Markforged, another pioneering industrial 3D printer manufacturer that continues to redefine the boundaries of additive manufacturing. Markforged is renowned for its innovative “Digital Forge” – a sophisticated, integrated platform comprising advanced printers, cutting-edge materials, and intuitive additive manufacturing software. This holistic ecosystem is at the core of Markforged’s vision: to achieve a profound, technology-driven manufacturing transformation. Their solutions are designed not just for rapid prototyping but for creating strong, functional, and end-use parts, ranging from high-strength composite tools to robust metal components. The “Digital Forge” aims to streamline the entire additive manufacturing workflow, making it more accessible and powerful for commercial applications across various industries, from automotive and aerospace to medical and consumer goods. This comprehensive platform allows users to design, print, and inspect parts with unparalleled ease and reliability, significantly reducing lead times and costs associated with traditional manufacturing methods.

We had the opportunity to speak specifically with Doug Kenik, Principal Product Manager – Strategy at Markforged, to delve deeper into their latest software releases. A particular point of interest was their enhanced simulation features, which represent a significant leap forward in predictive manufacturing. These simulation capabilities allow users to virtually test the performance and integrity of their printed parts before actual production. This means engineers can optimize designs for strength, weight, and printability, anticipate potential failures under various load conditions, and significantly reduce the need for costly and time-consuming physical prototypes. By integrating such powerful simulation tools directly into their platform, Markforged is empowering users to design with greater confidence, accelerate product development cycles, and ensure the reliability of their digitally manufactured components. This not only minimizes material waste and rework but also maximizes efficiency in the entire manufacturing process, making additive manufacturing a more predictable and robust solution for critical applications. Such advancements are crucial for the broader adoption of 3D printing in industries where performance and reliability are non-negotiable.

Spotlighting Innovation: Rivelin Robotics and the Formnext Start-Up Challenge

The 3D Daily Show isn’t just about established giants; it’s also a crucial platform for highlighting the burgeoning talent within the additive manufacturing landscape. Formnext consistently provides an invaluable stage for innovative startups to showcase their revolutionary ideas, and our first episode offered a glimpse into this exciting segment. We were particularly impressed by Rivelin Robotics, a startup that is addressing a critical bottleneck in the 3D printing workflow: post-processing. Rivelin Robotics has engineered a groundbreaking robotic post-processing system that dramatically reduces, and in many cases, entirely eliminates the need for human intervention. Traditionally, post-processing – which includes support removal, surface finishing, and curing – can be a time-consuming, labor-intensive, and often inconsistent manual task. This process, especially with complex geometries or delicate materials, often represents a significant portion of the total cost and time involved in 3D printing.

Rivelin’s automated solution not only boosts efficiency and throughput but also ensures greater consistency and precision in the final part quality, making it a game-changer for industrial applications. This innovation is especially pertinent for scaling additive manufacturing to industrial levels, where automation is key to achieving cost-effectiveness, reproducibility, and occupational safety (by handling materials or geometries that might be hazardous or difficult for human operators). Their intelligent robotic system leverages advanced algorithms, machine learning, and sophisticated vision systems to precisely identify and remove support structures, smooth surfaces, and achieve desired finishes, effectively streamlining the entire production cycle from design to finished part. This type of automation is a critical step towards realizing fully lights-out manufacturing and pushing 3D printing towards becoming a more mainstream, reliable, and economically viable production method.

Further validating its ingenious approach and significant potential, Rivelin Robotics was a deserving winner of the prestigious Formnext Start-Up Challenge. Organized annually by Formnext, this challenge recognizes and celebrates the most innovative and promising young companies in the additive manufacturing sector. Winning this esteemed award provides Rivelin with significant industry recognition, invaluable networking opportunities with potential investors and partners, and a powerful endorsement of their technology’s potential to disrupt and improve the industry. It underscores how critical automation in the post-processing phase is for the overall maturation and industrial adoption of 3D printing. Startups like Rivelin Robotics are vital catalysts for innovation, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and introducing fresh perspectives that tackle real-world manufacturing challenges, thereby contributing significantly to the vision of a truly digital, efficient, and accessible industrial ecosystem where the full potential of additive manufacturing can be realized.

Stay Connected with the 3D Daily Show and 3Dnatives

The journey through Formnext 2022 has only just begun! We invite you to join us again tomorrow for 3D Daily Show #2, where we will uncover more fascinating innovations and meet additional industry trailblazers who are shaping the future of manufacturing. In the interim, we encourage you to share your thoughts, insights, and comments on the diverse exhibitors and groundbreaking technologies featured in our 3D Daily Show #1. Your engagement is invaluable, and we welcome your feedback directly in the comments section of this article or across our vibrant social media platforms. Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to join the conversation and stay abreast of real-time updates from Formnext and beyond. Don’t miss out on any crucial developments in the rapidly evolving world of additive manufacturing; be sure to sign up for our complimentary weekly Newsletter here to receive the very latest 3D printing news, delivered straight to your inbox. For a visual feast of all our exclusive reports, interviews, and comprehensive event coverage, you can always visit and subscribe to our dedicated YouTube channel. Stay tuned as we continue to bring you the pulse of Formnext 2022, showcasing the innovations that are not just shaping, but actively revolutionizing, the future of manufacturing.