As the third trade fair to have emerged from the dispute surrounding "Euromold" (www.euromold.com), the new "Formnext" (www.formnext.com) exhibition was also able to assert itself in the new fragmented German fair landscape on product development, construction and mould-making (for most recent coverage, see Plasteurope.com of 27.07.2015). However, the fair that took place from 17-20 November 2015 at the former Euromold venue in Frankfurt / Germany was the smallest of the three Euromold successors, drawing 232 exhibitors and 8,982 visitors. By comparison, 453 exhibitors and 11,160 visitors attended the last Euromold, held from 22-25 September 2015 in Düsseldorf / Germany. Already in May, the new "Moulding Expo" (www.moulding-expo.de) made its early and impressive debut in Stuttgart / Germany with 624 exhibitors and 13,989 visitors. However, this is only the first round in the open battle of trade fairs, with the bell set to ring again next year.

With a clear focus on tool and mould manufacturing, Moulding Expo left enough room for Euromold to host a separate fair on design and creation, engineering, simulation and structural analysis, while additive manufacturing technologies were the main topic at Formnext. Both latter events thus successfully exploited the gaps left by the first fair in 2015.

After a dispute with fair organiser Messe Frankfurt, Euromold moved to the premises of Messe Düsseldorf and was brought forward to September. Following the switch, exhibitor numbers contracted by 50% and visitor attendance even dropped to one fifth of the customary 60,000. However, at 49 %, Euromold was able to attract a high percentage of international visitors.

The clear focus at Formnext was technologies for additive metal and plastics manufacturing, including their upstream value chains. Exhibitors included engineering companies, digitisers and data processors, but also plant constructors specialised in additive manufacturing. The event also drew a wide variety of service providers using the relevant technologies on display. In this respect, Formnext can be considered the successor of what was once presented in Euromold’s hall 11. The booths of several big players in the additive manufacturing scene indicate that they consider the new Frankfurt-based fair as their main European presentation platform in 2015. PIE’s impression was that even the audience looked more professional. Most visitors were clearly experts, with remarkably many eastern European and Asian attendees.

Traditional mould-making, however, as put on display at the fair in Stuttgart, was not very visible in Frankfurt, with only a handful of exhibitors. This did not matter, however, since few additive technologies had been presented in Stuttgart, with its more traditional focus. The two fairs thus perfectly complemented each other.

In 2016, Euromold’s management wants to improve its service to its multifaceted audience by introducing a better fair structure, based on two pillars. "Despite the current euphoria about 3D printing and Industry 4.0", next year’s "Euromold 2016 classic" will enable to show how large quantities of low-cost high-quality goods will remain in the domain of classical tool- and mould-making even in the foreseeable future. By contrast, "Euromold 2016 advanced manufacturing" will present state-of-the-art 3D printing, additive manufacturing and their rapidly evolving "complete ecosystem". By linking these themes, the fair organiser says, the event will become one “smart factory”, and thus embody the concept of "Industry 4.0".

Moulding Expo wants to expand upon its current profile as "the lounge of tool-, model- and mould-making" with a biennial fair cycle. As a result, the edition will take place in May or June 2017. By contrast, the next Formnext will take place in the third week of November, putting it on a clear collision course with Euromold in Düsseldorf, which will next be held in early December 2016.