formnext 2016: Day Two in Photos

Today at formnext was an early start for a group of interested and enthusiastic journalists, as we gathered together for a press conference put on by Stratasys to detail their recently announced partnership with Siemens, as the two companies work together to see technology truly strive to meet the needs of users. From that start at 8.30 am on another lovely (well, foggy and rainy) day here in Frankfurt, it was really time again to hit the ground running!

Day two at formnext 2016 was filled end to end with more announcements, press events, and encounters with respected leaders in the 3D printing industry, from brilliant inventors to astute analysts. Check out some of the photos I took today to catch up with some of the latest from Frankfurt! As always, stay tuned to 3DPrint.com as we continue to bring you all the breaking news in additive manufacturing today.

2016 marks Roboze’s second year at formnext — and with a big step up from last year’s smaller showing in the startup area, the Italian company is certainly making an impact this year. With two 3D printers, including the recently revamped Roboze One +400, with its capability of working with 13 industrial materials in a desktop-sized unit, Roboze has come a long way in a sort time.

Ilaria Guicciardi, the company’s Marketing Director, explained to me that in addition to Roboze’s rapid recent expansions across Europe and into India, the company is looking toward the US next, with a goal to open a branch there soon. Roboze is also highlighting their partnership with Manor Racing, with a display of parts made on their 3D printers. Guicciardi also noted a common sentiment among exhibitors: the quality of visitors at formnext is very good, as it’s no longer necessary to explain what 3D printing is.

In a busy day full of press conferences and chats that were informative if not photogenic (MachineWorks’ presentation on their Polygonica software was enlightening, for example, as was my chat with George Fisher-Wilson to catch up with 3D Hubs‘ latest), formnext held quite a lot again today.

Just walking the floor at formnext is always an experience in itself, as every booth draws attention for a variety of reasons, from eye-grabbing costumes (always on women, I’ve noticed) to 3D printed bicycles, motorcycles, cars, clothes, aerospace components, and more on display every which way.

My Wednesday at formnext concluded with the latest Voxel Vision presentation from HP. The company has several of their 3D printing ecosystems in their massive booth complex, as well as example parts showing current and future capabilities of their MJF technology. With a video again taking attendees from Barcelona to San Diego to capture the development and collaborative efforts behind this long-awaited 3D printing system, HP continues to impress with attention to detail — and, thankfully, always with some new information to be gleaned. I’ve now seen these 3D printers (or at least 3D printed proofs of concept) in Barcelona, Orlando, Chicago, and Frankfurt, and in each encounter I learn more about the touted technological benefits of HP’s 3D printing developments. Also notable here is a variety of job listings; while some areas in HP/Hewlett-Packard may be suffering the slings and arrows of redefined business strategies, the 3D printing business is very clearly booming in this optimistic and ambitious company.

As ever, this is all a very broad overview of just some of what’s going on this week in Frankfurt. Keep an eye out as we continue to report more in-depth in the days to come!

All photos taken on-site by Sarah Goehrke for 3DPrint.com