The most anticipated event of the year in the Additive Manufacturing industry, Formnext 2023 is just around the corner. Held in Frankfurt, Germany, from November 7 to 10, companies and professionals from all over the world have already secured their presence at the event par excellence dedicated to 3D printing. After welcoming as many as 29,581 visitors in the 2022 edition and more than 800 exhibitors, expectations for this year are even higher! This year, as always, the winning start-ups of the Formnext Start-Up Challenge 2023 will also be present at the event. Winning the award for the 2023 edition were Odapt (Spain), Endless Industries (Germany), Helio Additive (USA), Vitro3D (USA) and Progresja New Materials (Poland). The latter also won the AM Ventures Impact Award, the prize dedicated to the most sustainable project.

Formnext’s Start-up Challenge supports the most promising start-ups by offering competition winners free participation in the fair with their own booth and a full marketing package. Indeed, this year as with others it will be possible to meet the winning start-ups at their booths in the Start-up Areas (Hall 11.1.-B55 or 12.0-B81). In addition, the winners also have the opportunity to make themselves known during Pitchnext, a pitch event to be held on November 7, 2023, at 2 PM, at the Industry Stage (11.0 D72).

Formnext Start-Up Challenge 2023 Winners

Now in its ninth year, the Formnext Start-up Challenge rewards young international additive manufacturing companies for their innovative and cutting-edge business ideas. This year’s award-winning innovations, in particular, showcase the wide range of possible applications of Additive Manufacturing and range from medical applications, to recycling titanium as a printing material, to analytical software, to new 3D printing technologies targeting the automotive, electronics, dental and mechanical engineering sectors, among others.

As the event organizers point out, the fact that the winners come from four different countries also reflects the great international relevance of the competition. But let’s take a detailed look at who the Challenge’s winning startups are: we spoke with some of them to learn more about their projects and what they expect from participating in Formnext 2023!

Odapt

Spanish start-up Odapt is not new to 3Dnatives readers, back in December 2022, we talked about this innovative 3D-printed ostomy bag project. Worldwide, there are as many as 15 million people who wear an ostomy bag due to various diseases. However, the currently available ostomy bags have several critical issues, such as leakage and poor fit. To address this, Odapt has developed the first 3D printed disc made of biocompatible silicone that adheres to the skin, fitting each patient. Thanks to 3D printing technology, the design can then be adapted and is more sustainable. Ivana Llobet Leca, CEO & Co-founder of Odapt commented on this win, “We hope our project and award encourage other healthcare start-ups to use AM technology to keep pushing toward user-centered and personalized solutions in medicine. We also hope it encourages the industry to put more resources into the healthcare sector offering more biocompatible materials for 3D printing and further certifying the materials and processes to comply with medical device regulations.”

On their participation in Formnext 2023, Llobet Leca adds, “We are especially interested in meeting with companies offering biocompatible, flexible 3D printing materials such as silicone, and to connect with medical device manufacturers and investors. We also want to raise awareness about ostomy bags and our Odapt project, and chat with anyone interested in personalized medicine.”

Endless Industries

Berlin-based start-up Endless Industries has distinguished itself with a new approach to 3D printing continuous carbon fiber. This extremely durable material is mainly used in automobile manufacturing, mechanical engineering and other applications that require both strength and lightness. Endless Industries has developed a proprietary material, software and a patented nozzle that simultaneously processes carbon fiber and plastic. A solution that allows even large parts to be produced very efficiently. Since the start-up does not produce its own 3D printers, their goal is to make the most of their experience at Formnext to learn about and initiate collaborations with leading machine manufacturers.

Helio Additive

Helio Additive, a start-up founded in China in 2020 and now based in the United States, has been awarded for its Dragon thermal simulation software for additive manufacturing. It is a slicing and analysis software that guarantees better 3D printing results of plastics and composite materials. In detail, Dragon cuts 3D models into individual voxels and records their thermal progression. Helio Additive specializes in the behavior of plastics that expand to different degrees when exposed to heat, thus giving different results in the printing process. Dragon software through physical calculations avoids printing errors and enables faster, more reliable and scalable printing.

Vitro3D

Another winner of the Formnext Start-up Challenge 2023 is Vitro3D of the United States, which has developed a high-speed volumetric additive manufacturing technology. Vitro3D’s technology processes a wide range of materials, including highly viscous resins, and can combine several materials into a single part without the need for support structures. The company is developing a platform where manufacturers will be able to simply click a button and obtain a part quickly, reliably and sustainably. The target industries are dental and electronics: the technology will enable fast, direct printing of aligners and allow electronics manufacturers to offer more complex printed circuit boards (PCBs) without the need for new tooling.

Camila Uzcategui, CEO & Co-Founder commented on the recognition, “Vitro3D is honored to be one of the winners of the Formnext Start-up Challenge. By participating at Formnext 2023, we expect to be able to connect with the industry’s top talent and learn about the latest developments in advanced manufacturing. We’re looking forward to showcasing our volumetric additive manufacturing technology and making connections in industries where we can solve difficult manufacturing challenges.”

Progresja New Materials

Polish start-up Progresja New Materials particularly stood out for the sustainable approach of its process, which is why it also won the AM Ventures Impact Award 2023. Their innovative project involves the recovery and recycling of titanium as a Europe-wide 3D printing material. According to Progresja New Materials, the recycling rate of end-of-life titanium in the EU is extremely low, something the company wants to change as soon as possible.

Titanium scrap collected throughout the EU will undergo various processes such as cleaning, thermochemical treatment, machining, and atomization to obtain titanium powder suitable for additive manufacturing. The company is currently in the process of starting large-scale production, and to this end, plans to crere a network of titanium recycling centers throughout Europe, located close to aerospace industry centers. For Adrian Kukofka, CEO of Progresja New Materials, Formnext will be the perfect place to make their reality known and establish themselves internationally.

“Winning the Start-up Challenge,” Kukofka added, “has strengthened our belief that further development of our technology makes sense and that sustainability is becoming more and more meaningful for the AM market. We look forward to participating in Formnext to elevate our brand’s visibility, establish meaningful connections with industry partners, potential investors, and to showcase our innovation. We expect that participation in Formnext will significantly boost our growth and propel us forward.”

What do you think of the winning start-ups in the Formnext Start-Up Challenge 2023? Let us know in a comment below or on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.

*Cover Photo Credits: Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH