Formnext 2025 Reveals Finalists Driving AM Innovation

Frankfurt am Main, Germany – By shining a spotlight on faster and more sustainable AM production, pioneering applications from such diverse fields as medicine, mold making, and the oil & gas industry, and new approaches in AM training and education, the Formnext Awards 2025 will once again recognize young innovative companies, sustainable business ideas, and revolutionary technologies across six different categories. The shortlisted finalists will present their entries online in the run-up to the trade fair and in person at a special showcase at Formnext. The winners will be announced at the award ceremony on November 20, 2025. Voting for the public is already open.

The finalists in the six award categories are shaping the future of Additive Manufacturing. In addition to dealing with current challenges, such as increased sustainability and more efficient production, the innovations also include specific applications and specialized manufacturing solutions for robotics or the dental sector, for example. The finalists were selected based on the level of innovation shown, the technological maturity of their entries, and their professional business concepts.

Visitors to Formnext will have an opportunity to see all the finalists at the Formnext Awards special showcase (Hall 11.0, Booth D82). The winners will be announced at the award ceremony on Thursday, November 20 from 4:20 pm on the Industry Stage (Hall 11.0, D72). Companies can also check out the finalists now on the Formnext website. Voting is open in all categories until noon on Thursday, November 20. The public vote will count as one additional juror vote.

AMbassador Award: From AM Ecosystem to Recognized Training

The AMbassador Award recognizes outstanding individuals or organizations that have had a unique impact on the AM industry and users through innovative training and education approaches or personal advocacy. Its finalist is Naiara Zubizarreta, Director, ADDIMAT, the Spanish Association of Additive Manufacturing, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary. She has been leading the strategy and growth of the Spanish AM ecosystem since 2015 and has built a strong community that now has more than 100 members. Irena Heuzeroth, engineer and senior trainer in injection molding | Additive Manufacturing, also made it to the finals with her commitment to training.

IHK Würzburg-Schweinfurt and the Kunststoff-Zentrum (SKZ) jointly offer the vocational study program culminating in the qualification Certified Industrial Technician in Additive Manufacturing. The course covers the entire 3D Printing process chain, from the materials used, their processing, construction, to the various processes involved and includes aspects such as energy, hydraulics, and occupational safety. Gustavo Melo from RWTH Aachen University also works in this area and has developed a revolutionary new data-driven, technology-based methodology for AM training.

Design Award: From LNG Sampling to Prostheses for Children in Kenya

The following finalists in the Design Award category impressed the judges with their exceptional AM designs and AM products: The Limb Kind Foundation, in association with Hewlett-Packard and global partners, set up a 3D Printing project in Kenya involving the overseas manufacture and transport of bespoke prosthetic socket parts for children in Kenya, which are fitted and adapted to the children locally free of charge by orthopedic technicians. The companies IKM Flux, EOS, Valland, and ToffeeX have jointly developed a Flux vaporizer for LNG sampling that measures the heating value much more accurately than conventional analyzers. The vaporizer, which uses thermo-fluidic topology optimization among other things, can eliminate minor but sometimes very expensive measurement inaccuracies in LNG deliveries. The Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd is responsible for developing Grabbit hand therapy gadgets to help strengthen the hands of ill, injured, or elderly patients. The product is made from a combination of TPU lattice structures, PA12, and ash wood.

(R)Evolution Award: Sand and Injection Molds and a Novel AM System for the Dental Sector

The (R)Evolution Award is presented to pioneering products, technologies, or services that demonstrate significant added value for the user. This year’s finalists are being recognized for innovations from industrial manufacturing and the dental sector. As part of its Inov.iQ project, for example, Portuguese company Erofio 3D-printed a full-metal mold for a 100-tonne injection molding machine. The mold, which was developed in collaboration with injection molding machine manufacturer Engel, is designed for ultra-thin parts with wall thicknesses of just 1 mm. The company achieved a 75 percent reduction in tool weight, a 30 percent reduction in energy consumption, and an increase in productivity thanks to shorter cycle times. Laempe Mössner Sinto GmbH developed and commissioned a fully automated high-volume 3D Printing line for the BMW Group foundry to produce sand cores. The system produces more than 1,100 cores per day, making it one of the fastest binder jetting printers in the world. imes-icore is presenting CORiTEC Mythos, the world’s first fully automated hybrid manufacturing system to combine coating and layering with the exceptional precision of the latest milling and grinding techniques in a 5-axis process. The technology offers maximum precision, better surface quality, and more design options for multi-material and multi-color dental restorations for dentures, crowns, bridges and implants.

Rookie Award: Innovations for Medical, Dental, and FDM Printers

The Rookie Award recognizes young individuals with promising business ideas who have either not yet founded a company or who launched less than a year ago. The three finalists offer innovative solutions in the medical and dental sector as well as technically optimized 3D printers. Fidentis’ digital production system uses multi-material PBF-LB/M, robotics, and automation to produce high-quality, multi-material cobalt-chrome and gold prostheses at scale for the dental sector. To improve the treatment of respiratory distress, for example, 3DMyMask uses 3D facial scanning and AM to produce bespoke silicone masks. Behind the project are neonatologists, industrial engineers, and entrepreneurs, all of whom are integrated in the IAM3DHUB ecosystem. Tesseract has developed accessible linear motors that are optimized for FDM printers. With a direct, straight-line movement that is powered by magnetic forces, the self-correcting linear motors offer optimum speed and seamless precision.

Start-up Award supported by Fluxo Technologies: Faster Additive Manufacturing Plus Improvements in Robotics and Medicine

With volumetric Additive Manufacturing (VAM), Perfi Technologies promises a significantly improved regime of capabilities for 3D Printing by printing all points in an object simultaneously. This reduces production time from hours to seconds, renders support structures unnecessary, and reduces post-processing to a minimum. Hungarian start-up Allonic has also developed a new AM technology, 3D Tissue Braiding. This new, textile-based manufacturing technology aims to make complex robotics simple enough for mass production. Swiss company Nureo AG, on the other hand, specializes in automating design and engineering processes and is building the next generation of 3D design tools for engineering. Thai start-up OsseoLabs is aiming to improve orthopedic and maxillofacial surgery with its AI-supported surgical planning and 3D-printed, personalized implants. According to OsseoLabs, the OsseoMatrix™ porous architecture and OsseoVision™ web-based platform improve precision, reduce operating time by 50 percent, and cut planning time by 90 percent. There have been more than 200 successful clinical cases to date. Also in the healthcare sector, Biomotion Technologies FlexCo from Vienna has developed a platform for the automation and standardization of 3D tissue bioprinting, which aims to improve reliability in drug screening.

Sustainability Award Supported by Renishaw: Filter for Metal Residue Removal

The finalists for the Sustainability Award, which evaluates AM applications and products on the basis of their product life cycle, are Smart Materials 3D Printing, Continuum Powders, and EOS. Smart Materials 3D develops innovative, biodegradable 3D Printing materials made from regional agro-industrial waste, setting new benchmarks for sustainable circular economy practices in Additive Manufacturing. Continuum Powders relies on its Greyhound Melt-to-Powder (M2P) platform and OptiVantage quality assurance and control framework to convert high-quality waste into ready-to-use metal powder. EOS presents its filtration system for metal laser sintering, which separates reusable powder transported in the exhaust stream, and neutralizes reactive byproducts of metal-based AM, such as condensate, soot, and ultrafine particles—directly within the process. These substances are classified as hazardous waste and lead to high disposal costs, while recovering reusable powder helps reduce both expenses and CO₂ emissions. The new recirculating air filtration system, which EOS is introducing at Formnext 2025, converts highly reactive condensates into stable metal oxides that can be safely disposed of. According to EOS, this filtration and integrated oxidation technology not only protects the environment but also ensures economic sustainability.

At the award ceremony, the winners of each category will be presented with attractive cash and non-cash prizes as well as unique trophies from the sponsors Sutosuto (design) and FKM Sintertechnik (production).

Image Source: Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH