Formnext 2026 sees strong early demand

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 19. March 2026

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FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany: After Formnext’s ten-year anniversary and record attendance in 2025, the lead-up to the 2026 event is already showing strong momentum. Scheduled for 17 to 20 November, the show will once again bring together the global additive manufacturing (AM) community. According to the organisers, 527 companies from 34 countries have registered as exhibitors for Formnext, which is a leading trade fair for AM and advanced production technologies and held in Frankfurt.

International participation will be high: 64.5% of the exhibitors that have registered for Formnext 2026 are from outside Germany, mainly from the UK, China, France, Italy, Spain and the US. Major manufacturers—including 3D Systems, Carbon, Formlabs, Siemens and Stratasys—will be showcasing their latest developments.

“Despite an increasingly complex general economic climate, the world of AM continues to grow and still offers future-oriented business opportunities for stakeholders along the entire process chain,” said Sascha F. Wenzler, vice-president of Formnext at the trade fair organiser Mesago Messe Frankfurt, in a press release.

Implications for dental 3D-printing materials and technologies

The continued growth in AM materials and technologies is particularly relevant for dentistry, where applications such as dental models, surgical guides and prostheses are expanding rapidly, including in chairside workflows. Service providers are playing an increasingly important role, especially for practices and laboratories seeking to adopt AM without investing in in-house production. Exhibitors such as Materialise and other specialised providers will present dental solutions spanning design, production and post-processing workflows.

At the same time, advances in desktop 3D printing are lowering entry barriers. These systems are increasingly used by dental laboratories, dental clinics and specialised service providers, supporting the shift towards digital, on-demand workflows.

Expanding ecosystem and innovation landscape

The registration of new exhibitors from 21 countries reflects a broadening AM ecosystem and an evolving innovation landscape, covering areas such as software, automation, materials, post-processing and quality assurance. “The variety of new exhibitors underscores the dynamic of the entire AM sector,” explained Petra Haarburger, co-president of Mesago Messe Frankfurt. “It illustrates the relevance of a leading international trade show like Formnext in helping these often recently established companies to network, gain maximum visibility and successfully gain a foothold in the industry.”

For dentistry, Formnext 2026 is a showcase for the digital manufacturing tools now shaping laboratory and clinical workflows. Formnext presents dentistry as one of the most influential and highest-volume adopters of AM, spanning models, crowns, bridges, aligners, dentures, surgical guides and splints. The 2026 exhibitor line-up will cover the full digital workflow, so for dental professionals, the meeting will offer an overview of the advances in speed, precision, scalability and cost-efficiency in digital manufacturing for dental applications.

As the partner country this year, the UK will have a strong presence through participating companies and contributions to the scientific and educational programme. Further information and registration details are available at formnext.com.