Formnext 2024, Moving Towards a More Stagnant Market?

Yet another Formnext closed its doors last Friday at Messe Frankfurt. For four days, the entire additive manufacturing community gathered in the show’s four halls, in search of the latest innovations, trends and applications. Naturally, the 3Dnatives teams were on hand to gather all this information and take the temperature of the market. This year, it was clear that metal was very much in evidence on exhibitors’ stands: from 3D-printed parts to machines and post-processing solutions, there’s no doubt that the technology is finding its way to many manufacturers. We also saw a growing emphasis on qualification solutions for 3D-printed parts, a boom in the DED process, and a proliferation of pellet systems.

All in all, Formnext 2024 was a showcase for a number of interesting launches, but we’re still left wanting more: have we reached a certain glass ceiling that could indicate stability in the sector? Or could we see it as a market in full stagnation? In any case, this was the feeling that permeated the aisles of the show, which included an increasing number of Asian exhibitors. Time to take stock of Formnext 2024!

Visitors from all over the world were at the show

The show organizers had announced over 850 exhibitors, and we were not disappointed: according to a press release from Messago, there were 864 solution providers from all over the world. Although there were more exhibitors than in 2023, we could not overlook the fact that the stands were less impressive than in previous years. There were no two-story stands, more shared spaces, more pavilions. In short, the footprint of the booth was reduced for many companies.