AM Forum is a yearly two-day event in Berlin.Rather than being just a national gathering, the AM Forum addresses numerous international and Europe-wide themes.Speakers from around the world participate.
This year, approximately 1,000 attendees are present, including many Fraunhofer researchers, business professionals, non-additive manufacturing (AM) specialists, and familiar industry figures.The event is hosted at the massive Estrel hotel, where everything is well-organized and convenient.Around 20 company booths are featured, showcasing firms such as Quantica, Trumpf, AI Build, AZO, Grob, and others.
While most attendees are German, participants from various countries are also present.We started with a 1920s-themed gathering at the Adlon Hotel.Many attendees wore period accessories or dressed up in full attire.
The ambiance was lovely, and it was wonderful to meet so many people again.I highly recommend attending this networking event on the Sunday before the show—it’s always very classy and provides a great opportunity to mingle with a wide range of people in a continuous, relaxed setting.The day began with a frankly bizarre explanation of how to use the conference app.
However, a particularly enjoyable moment came when everyone was asked to stand, turn around, and talk to three others for a few minutes.This was a fun addition to the day, and we were encouraged to “stay active.” A unique aspect of AM Forum is its focus on use case presentations and collaborations.These are often delivered as duo presentations, where speakers discuss their joint efforts.
While this format could feel contrived, participants consistently put in the effort to make it engaging and effective.To kick off the day, HP’s François Minec presented alongside Romain Adamowicz of Something Added.Adamowicz’s company is commercializing soles and insoles using HP’s Barcelona Dfactory facility, which they acquired.
The duo discussed scaling additive manufacturing and addressing the growing market demand in this fast-expanding sector.Next up was Ronen Hadar, Senior Director of Additive Design & Manufacturing at LEGO.He discussed the company’s extensive use of hundreds of injection molding machines to produce billions of parts while now integrating additive manufacturing for much smaller production runs.
While LEGO heavily utilizes additive manufacturing for tooling and general manufacturing, Hadar is involved in efforts to directly print LEGO pieces.The company currently produces limited “elements” for low-volume production, which for LEGO still means hundreds of thousands of parts—its lowest production scale.A video presentation revealed that LEGO uses EOS P500 machines, AM Solutions equipment, and DyeMansion for dyeing.
While there was no direct mention of the Evolve Additive machine the company invested in, there was a reference to a co-developed machine that may be related.Hadar also noted that LEGO is not considering customization due to the challenges it would pose for its supply chain.Next was a discussion led by Professor Christian Seidel, featuring Mans Lindberg, Policy Officer at the European Commission; Dr.
Mohsen Seifi, Vice President of Global Advanced Manufacturing Programs at ASTM International; and Johannes Siegert, eXpert in Direct Manufacturing Technologies at Airbus Helicopters.The panel explored the role of funding in additive manufacturing.It was particularly interesting to have Mans Lindberg present, offering a European perspective on the industry.
Through various Horizon programs and other funding instruments, the EU has significantly supported additive manufacturing research.However, since it has largely avoided direct involvement in implementation, its role has often been overlooked.Now, it is clear that the EU intends to take on a more active role in shaping the future of additive manufacturing.
Then, we shifted from consumer products to transportation with a panel featuring Dr.Claire Blanchard from RATP Group (Paris’s public transport company), Franziska Dietrich from Wiener Linien (Vienna’s public transport organization), and Dr.Lorenzo Gasparoni.
Next was a highly relevant presentation by Jens Holtmannspoetter, Branch Head of Materials, Structures, and Engineering at the Bundeswehr (German Army).He detailed how his teams used Stratasys Fortus printers and other machines to produce spare parts in Afghanistan in 2017.They also developed improvised solutions such as dust shields for crews during helicopter landings, machine gun dust covers, and air conditioner spare parts.
Holtmannspoetter highlighted the ongoing debate between improvisation, necessity, and safety in military additive manufacturing.He also spoke about producing spare parts for machine guns—an ongoing practice, though rarely discussed publicly.AM Forum has always been a well-organized, high-quality event, with great care taken in selecting the right speakers.
Once again, this day delivered valuable insights, making for an exciting and worthwhile experience.Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
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