Formnext, one of the most important international trade fairs for additive manufacturing and industrial 3D printing technologies, took place in Frankfurt from November 19 to 22, 2024. Switzerland was represented for the first time with the SWISS Pavilion, a joint stand organized by the Swiss Additive Manufacturing Group (SAMG) by Swissmem. The aim was to offer Swiss companies a concise platform to showcase their expertise along the entire additive manufacturing value chain.
Project manager Sara Bussmann draws a positive conclusion: “The SWISS Pavilion promoted the exchange of knowledge and attracted many visitors. The positive response from visitors and the valuable contacts speak for themselves.”
Six companies took part in the SWISS Pavilion, including a-metal AG, Feramic AG, the IWK Institute for Materials Engineering and Plastics Processing, prodartis AG, spherene AG and SUHNER Schweiz AG. The exhibitors represented almost all process steps of industrial 3D printing.
“The many technical discussions during the four days of the trade fair provided us with valuable information on trends in the AM industry. Thanks to the perfect interaction between us exhibitors at AM Expo and Swissmem Media Release December 2024 the SWISS Pavilion, we were able to provide visitors to the stand with the best possible service,” says Ralf Schindel, Managing Director of prodartis.
Stephan Steiner, Executive Lead at a-metal, is also satisfied with the presentation: “There was a lot of interest in our 3D printer for metal and we were able to ideally explore the German market at Formnext.”
The futuristically designed sculpture, which was created in collaboration between Spherene, Prodartis, Feramic and Suhner, illustrated the innovative power of the Swiss AM industry and served as an impressive conversation starter.
The Spherene stand was also very popular with visitors to the trade fair, as Daniel Bachmann, Chief Innovation Officer at Spherene, confirms: “The stand attracted numerous visitors, including customers and partners as well as new interested parties. The cooperation with the co-exhibitors from the Swissmem Group contributed significantly to our successful appearance with the collaboratively produced LUNA sculpture as an eye-catcher at the stand.”
Adriaan Spierings, Head of the Swiss Additive Manufacturing Group at Swissmem, adds: “LUNA attracted a lot of curious glances. The futuristic shape of the sculpture and the variety of materials used caught the attention of visitors and invited them to explore the technology behind it. It was a perfect example of the innovative strength of our members.”
The success of the SWISS Pavilion reflects the potential of the Swiss AM industry. It is already clear that the joint stand will also be represented again at Formnext 2025. Interested companies can register for participation with project manager Sara Bussmann.
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