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Winners of the Formnext Start-up Challenge Named

The award-winning innovations have additive manufacturing applications and range from medical applications to recycling of titanium, analysis software, and 3D printing technologies.

All winners will showcase their innovations at their exhibition booths and present them at the Formnext Pitchnext event on Tuesday November 7, 2023. Image courtesy of Formnext and Mesago.

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By DE Editors

September 19, 2023

Thanks to the Formnext Start-up Challenge, the up-and-coming companies participating at Formnext will have opportunity to expand their network, exchange ideas with experts from the additive manufacturing industry and find potential partners or investors.

Start-Up Challenge WInners

With a new approach to 3D printing continuous carbon fiber, Berlin-based startup Endless Industries focuses on material it has developed, its software and a nozzle that processes carbon fibers and plastic at same time.
Helio Additive, a startup founded in China and now based in the U.S., will use its slicing analysis software to improve 3D printing plastics and composite materials. Its Dragon software is a thermal simulation of the additive manufacturing process: It slices 3D models into individual voxels and records thermal progression.
Globally, 15 million people cannot empty their bowels independently and wear a stoma bag. Spanish start-up Odapt unveiled a 3D-printed solution to improve use while reducing waste. “Stool or urine leakage frequently occurs because the current pouches are not adapted to the different stoma shapes,” explains the company. Odapt created a 3D-printed silicone baseplate, to help prevent leaks. Thanks to 3D printing technology, the design can be adapted to any stoma shape.
The Polish start-up Progresja New Materials specializes in Europe-wide recycling of titanium. This is because, while the EU is home to many additive titanium powder processors, the raw material often comes from China or Russia. According to Progresja New Materials, there is an extremely low end-of-life titanium recycling rate in the EU. Scrap titanium will be collected from across the EU and will undergo various processes such as cleaning, thermochemical treatment, mechanical processing, and atomization, resulting in a powder suitable for additive manufacturing. A network of titanium recycling centers will be established throughout the EU at a later date, located near aerospace industry centers.
US start-up Vitro3D has developed a volumetric additive manufacturing technology. Vitro3D processes various materials, including highly viscous resins, and can combine different material properties in one part. The cartridge-based printing technology eliminates need for support structures. The start-up from Boulder, CO, plans to focus initially on the dental and electronics markets. It will enable the rapid, direct printing of aligners and allow electronics manufacturers to offer more complex PCBs without the need for new tooling.

All five award-winning start-ups demonstrate advanced technology solutions and potential applications. The winners hail from four countries, reflecting the international relevance of the Formnext Start-up Challenge, Formnext notes.

Endless Industries and Vitro3D have developed existing 3D printing technologies (manufacturing of fiber-reinforced components and stereolithography), promising faster production speeds and higher component quality, according to the companies. With its Dragon slicing analysis software, Helio Additive also focuses on improving the printing process. Odapt has developed a customized baseplate for stoma patients, simplifying care while eliminating waste.

Sustainability also plays a role for Progresja New Materials—the Polish start-up aims to recycle titanium and use it to produce powder for additive manufacturing. The company also took home the AM Ventures Impact Award worth 5,000 euros, which was presented as part of the Formnext Start-up Challenge.

“The winners’ wide-ranging solutions demonstrate the AM industry’s huge potential for innovation and the versatility of the current and future applications of AM. They also show that this exciting technology can enable a wide range of innovative products and give us a powerful, practical tool for tackling current challenges such as climate change,” says Sascha F. Wenzler, vice president Formnext at trade fair organizer Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH.

The five winners will each receive a 3D printed award, as well as an exhibition and marketing package sponsored by Formnext and its partners. The winners will also participate in a pitch event on the Industry Stage at Formnext, broadcast live on Formnext.TV. The award is given to companies that are no more than 5 years old. The contest recognizes viable new business ideas, and the judging panel consists of representatives from the realms of industry, science, media, and investment.

All winners will showcase their innovations at their exhibition booths and present them at the Formnext Pitchnext event on Tuesday November 7, 2023. Further information is available here.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.