formnext 2017: conference expands to two stages for the first time
September 4, 2017
Now in its third year, the formnext powered by tct conference has evolved into an essential event for the Additive Manufacturing industry. This year’s conference, taking place from November 14 – 17 in Frankfurt, will for the first time present the future of Additive Manufacturing on two stages.
In cooperation with partner TCT, the conference will showcase the applications, developments and findings of leading international industrial companies and research institutions.
The organisers stated, “With the conference now on two stages for the first time, the event will deliver not only twice as many presentations, but will represent more intensively the entire bandwidth of the topics and technologies shown in the exhibition halls. Discussions will include key aspects such as automation, design, quality assurance, personnel and value-added chains.”
In a multi-facetted program, the application of AM in industry plays a key role. Speakers include representatives from Airbus, Deutsche Bahn, Honeywell, Premium Aerotec and Volkswagen who discuss how Additive Manufacturing is being used within their companies, how it is increasing efficiency and what future developments are planned. Special focus will be given, for example, to the industrial areas of medicine and aerospace in individual sessions.
In a keynote presentation, Uwe Fresenborg, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors at DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung, will discuss how Additive Manufacturing at Deutsche Bahn is revolutionising spare parts supply. In the past two years, 1,500 parts have already been produced using AM. Fresenborg will share his wide experience of how Deutsche Bahn is selecting suitable spare parts for AM and how exactly this production technology is being implemented within the company.
At the Volkswagen Group, Additive Manufacturing is already an important and established technology. Luis Pascoa, Pilot Plant Manager at Volkswagen Autoeuropa, will speak at formnext about the efficiency level that the Portuguese VW subsidiary Volkswagen Autoeuropa has already reached by using additively manufactured devices, tools and support mounts in the assembly line. This allows VW to reduce not only costs but the development time for tools – from weeks to just a few days.
