As part of its mission to advance the industry through emerging technologies, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology believes OEMs, service providers, and investors can better grasp the potential of additive manufacturing (AM) by thinking of it as more than just 3D printing a part. AMT is committed to the expansion of our community for competitiveness and sustainability.
“To fully unleash the power of digital manufacturing technologies such as AM, we need a view of manufacturing that includes elements of conceptualization, materialization, and utilization,” says David Burns, principal and founder of Global Business Advisory Services and senior advisor for AMT. A noted industry leader, Burns co-founded 3D printing company ExOne and was previously president and CEO of Gleason Corporation.
The AM Sector at IMTS in the West Building highlights more than 60 industrial AM companies.
Conceptualization encompasses the technologies inventors and engineers use to conceive and design products. Materialization extends through the various steps of object creation, such as material selection and sourcing, technologies related to object formation, part completion and validation, and the location of these activities (e.g., manufacturing closer to the point of use and reshoring). Utilization, including an assessment of object use and performance (e.g., digital data capture and analysis) and disposal or re-use.
High Potential
In a recent video from Formnext, featured on IMTS+, Burns noted that AM can benefit everyone on the planet through more freedom (of design and material), the velocity of bringing products to markets, and sustainability (notably through reduced carbon footprint).
Melanie Lang, CEO and cofounder of FormAlloy, in her company’s booth at IMTS. Lang is also a board member of AMT, the owner and operator of IMTS.
Because the pace of technology growth is directly linked to capital investment, AMT also provides information on AM investment trends.
“AM has a double-digit growth rate of 14-15% year after year, with the market projected to grow to $34.2 billion in the United States by 2030,” says Dayton Horvath, director, emerging technology & investments at AMT. “AMT’s goal is to accelerate growth and spur AM entrepreneurial activity by showcasing the technologies, companies, and innovative successes of the industry. Located in the center of America’s financial industry, the AMS event is particularly important because it connects financial institutions and investors with AM startups, visionaries, and business leaders.”
Ecosystems
Visitors take note of a complex 3D printed part in the SLM Solutions booth exhibit in the AM Sector at IMTS.
To expand the opportunities AM brings to the industrial manufacturing industry, AMT has partnered with Mesago Messe Frankfurt (the producers of Formnext) and Gardner Business Media (GBM) to create a series of events featuring Formnext in the USA:
- Additive Manufacturing Sector, accelerated by Formnext at IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show, Sept. 9-14, McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill.
- Formnext Chicago, April 8-10, 2025, McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill.
- Formnext Forum Austin 2026
“IMTS showcases AM’s role within the industrial ecosystem so manufacturers can learn how to apply AM to their existing business and create new opportunities,” says Douglas K. Woods, president, AMT. “Formnext Chicago showcases the entire breadth and depth of the AM ecosystem to help manufacturers chose and use the correct technologies, and the Formnext Forum emphasizes technical education to accelerate AM growth. AMT is creating opportunities for innovators, investors, startups, jobs shops, OEMs, and service providers to strengthen manufacturing in the USA.”
Feature image: A 3D-printed gateway attracts attention of interested visitors at the entrance to the AM Sector at IMTS.