The most recent edition of "Formnext" (www.formnext.com) took place in Frankfurt / Germany from 13 to 16 November 2018 and attracted 26,919 visitors – up 25% over the year before. The exhibitor numbers at the additive manufacturing trade fair have grown significantly compared to 2017 – by nearly 35%, with 632 exhibitors. Organiser Mesago Messe Frankfurt (Stuttgart / Germany; www.mesago.de) is accordingly satisfied. "Formnext has undergone exceptional development," said Sascha Wenzler, head of Formnext.

In 2019, the additive manufacturing exhibition will take place in halls 11 and 12 at Messe Frankfurt. In 2018, Formnext took place in hall 3 and its 38,000 m² was fully booked with exhibitors, allowing no room for growth. In this respect, hall 11's 24,000 m² (including conference areas in the connected portal house) and adjacent hall 12's 33,600 m² (completed in autumn 2018) offer potential for expansion.

Another novel addition in 2019 is that there will be a guest country at Formnext. The US will debut as guest country for the event. "The USA is one of the world’s leading suppliers and users of additive manufacturing technology – a fact that we took into consideration when choosing our guest country," said Wenzler.