The finalists for the 2024 Formnext Awards have been announced

For its 2024 edition, Formnext is spotlighting exceptional talent and ideas from the world of AM with its new awards format. This year, for the first time, the Formnext Awards will be presented in six different categories, including young innovative companies, sustainable business ideas and pioneering technologies. In another first, Formnext attendees are invited to help decide the winners in a public vote.

Finalists in all categories demonstrate a high degree of professionalism with their pioneering innovations for sectors ranging from medicine and dentistry to energy and aviation.

Formnext visitors can meet the finalists at the special Formnext Awards showcase (Hall 11.0, Stand F61). The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 21 November from 16:20 on the Industry Stage (Hall 11.0, D72). The finalists’ presentations can now also be viewed on the Formnext website. Voting is open in all categories until noon on Thursday, November 21, and the general public vote will count as an additional jury vote.

In addition to a trophy designed by artist duo AM SUTOSUTO and produced by Voxeljet, winners of the Formnext awards will also receive attractive prize packages provided by 3D Printing Industry, AM Ventures, Cirp, Renishaw and Trumpf.

Startup Award with the support of AM Ventures: New technologies and applications

The Start-up Award supported by AM Ventures recognizes inspiring young companies with viable business models. The finalists are:

• AM Craft Group designs and manufactures small-batch 3D printed aircraft interior components.
• Amsight promises to reduce AM quality management costs by 70 percent with its software.
• Axolotl Biosciences has developed TissuePrint, a research-grade xenon-free bioink for 3D printing of human tissue models.
• Micro Factory 3DSolutions specializes in the development of resin-based SLA 3D printers.
• Supernova Additive has developed Viscous Lithography Manufacturing (VLM) technology, which can handle highly viscous materials up to 1 million cP.

Rookie Award: Medicine and dentistry take center stage

The Rookie Award recognizes people with promising business ideas who have not yet founded a company or launched less than a year ago. The finalists are:

• Enki Interdentalis has developed a custom, 3D-printed dental splint that improves oral hygiene by using a mixture of water and air to remove food debris and plaque between teeth.
• Fidentis is a start-up that has developed a multi-material additive manufacturing solution with an integrated robotic arm that produces prostheses from a digital model.
• Oryx Medicals is developing an innovative additive manufacturing aortic valve that will revolutionize the treatment of aortic valve stenosis.

Sustainability Award supported by Renishaw

The Sustainability Award supported by Renishaw recognizes AM applications and products beyond the pure production process on a product life cycle basis. The finalists are:

• Baker Hughes is helping to reduce the environmental impact of the energy sector with additively manufactured components for gas turbines.
• Ceratizit has developed a unique process for the additive manufacturing of hard metals based on binders and sintered.
• Stratasys enables the holistic and sustainable production of high-quality footwear in the luxury segment with its J850 TechStyle 3D printer.

Design Award with the support of cirp

The following design award finalists supported by cirp impressed the judges with their exceptional AM designs and AM products:

• Siemens presents an innovative reactor design for greater sustainability in the chemical industry.
• Quorum Orthopedics is revolutionizing prosthetics with a customizable and ergonomic solution produced by MJF (multi jet fusion) printing.
• Institutes ILEK and ISW (University of Stuttgart) are contributing to the implementation of low-carbon technologies in the construction industry with advanced and sustainable design solutions.

(R)Evolution Award supported by the 3D printing industry

The (R)Evolution Award supported by the 3D Printing Industry is given to pioneering products, technologies or services that demonstrate a particular added value for the user. The finalists are:

• AMSystems promises to deliver high resolution and productivity to any build volume with the patented design of its MLP (multi-laser patterning) modules, which include a combination of multiple highly focused laser beams.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite, and Processing Technology IGCV: New three-material processing technology using powder bed fusion enables battery cell casings to be manufactured from aluminum, copper, and ceramics in a single production step .
• Toolcraft has developed a method for the efficient removal of support structures in 3D printed metal components using dry ice blasting.

Ambassador Award: Entertainment, education and science

The Ambassador Award recognizes outstanding individuals or organizations that have made a unique impact on industry and users through innovative approaches to training and education or self-advocacy. The finalists are:

• Stanley Tong has developed a tailored corporate additive curriculum, built a network of cross-company subject matter experts, and made additive technology accessible to thousands from his lab for one of the largest automakers of the world
• 3D Printing Nerd: He informs a wide global audience about AM and shows how everyone can get involved in the next industrial revolution with his entertaining YouTube show.
• The University of Stuttgart has developed innovative dental bone grafts together with dentists from the Medical Center – University of Freiburg.