Looking back
Dressler Group at Formnext 2021

The leading international trade fair for additive manufacturing confirmed what we already knew: nothing beats meeting face-to-face. It’s the only way to find just the right partners to work with at every stage of the value chain.

There’s no doubt about it: 3D printing/AM have well and truly outgrown their niche and made the leap into series production. This was illustrated at Formnext by more than 600 exhibitors from all over the world (including HP, EOS, Evonik, BASF and Covestro) and reflected in the feedback we heard from visitors to the Dressler Group stand.

In person? Online? Both.

“For us, attending the trade show is extremely important, because the tremendous dynamism of the industry, the major trends such as the need for greater standardisation and intelligent post-processing in place of post-treatment, can only be experienced so compactly by being present at a trade fair. Our complete portfolio enabled us to make a lot of new contacts, and as we all know, the best way to forge new relationships is in person,” says Jan Dressler, CEO of Dressler Group (DG). This year’s trade show motto “Sustainability” shows how not only sheer volume unlocks success, but also efficiency and waste reduction – factors that DG is already incorporating into its powder design, true to the motto: “Unleash the true potential of your 3D-printing powder.”

A special feature of this year’s fair was its hybrid format. The in-person event in mid-November was followed by the “Formnext Digital Days” on 30 November and 1 December – a great extension and addition to the event. That also goes for DG, because the contacts generated online were a perfect fit, with identifiable leads. Around 1 percent of all conversations that DG held were “digital”, of which around 5 percent were with international contacts. Interest primarily came from purchasing departments, R&D, product management or the management board. PP and TPU continue to be of huge importance.

Added value, not just standard

Something else that was confirmed at Formnext: as AM becomes established as a production process on an industrial scale, it becomes crucial to consider the value chain as a whole. “It is not enough just to supply the right powders in the required quantity and quality for the item being built. Rather, the 3D printing powders must offer real added value beyond that and extending across all production steps, ideally also benefiting our customers’ customers,” says Jan Dressler. One example of added value: DG powders can even minimise the need for reworking and optimise the reusability of the material as a recyclate while maintaining the same build quality.

Gaining insights every day

With its “Innovation Lab Journey” campaign, DG has been offering trade fair participants from theory and practice the chance to receive bespoke R&D services. Vouchers were awarded to Brose, Invent Medical and the University of Cologne, so they can experience their unique powder development live at our Technical Centre, from material screening and sample grinding to the documentation of the finished product.