Formnext + PM South China 2024 concluded on 30 August, bringing to a close three days of trade, networking and knowledge sharing for the additive manufacturing (AM), powder metallurgy and advanced ceramics industries.
This year’s Formnext + PM South China 2024 saw a notable increase in overseas visitor participation, reinforcing its role as an international gateway connecting prospective buyers to the Chinese manufacturing industry. In addition, the 2024 show offered a substantially expanded fringe programme, with topics covering a broader selection of industries, technologies and applications and featuring contributions from a wider range of expert speakers.
Key figures from Formnext + PM South China 2024:
- 15,691 visitors (a 19% increase over 2023 edition)
- Visitors from 54 countries and regions
- 255 international and domestic exhibitors
- 20,000 sqm of exhibition space
- 15 forums and seminars, with a total of 122 presentations delivered
Overseas visitor attendance at the 2024 edition grew by 196% compared to 2023. Representing 54 different countries and regions, these visitors reflect the event’s expanding global reach and a heightened level of international engagement with China’s advanced manufacturing industries.
The exhibition brought together prominent names from across the advanced manufacturing sector to demonstrate their latest advancements in materials, equipment, post-processing and more. Industry leaders including Ampro, BLT, CNPC, Cerawei, EASYMFG, Enigma, Farsoon, HP, Hanin, Haitian, HBD, KOCEL, Tianhong Laser, UnionTech, YUEAN, Sinterzone, Cincy, CFine, MEI-YANG, JinChuan Group, HUIJIN, Sinoma, GangWon, XY NEW MATERIAL, Nuoyi, SHENXING, LIXIN and HESHI Mold were among those showcasing their latest technologies, solutions and services.
In addition to its standard industrial offerings, this year’s event introduced 8 new exhibitors focused on 3D printing farm solutions: Anycubic, Creality, Easy Vision, Elegoo, Home-Link, Phaetus, Polymaker, and SUNLU. These companies presented their latest offerings in desktop 3D printing equipment and consumables, broadening the event’s appeal among hobbyists, 3D print farm operators and small-scale creators and highlighting the growing applications of AM technologies among these emerging market segments.
Alongside the exhibition, Formnext + PM South China’s 2024 fringe programme returned with an expanded variety of technical, application-focused, and market-oriented topics. This year, the programme introduced three new events, expanding the line-up to a total of 37 forums and seminars.
These new events covered topics including 3D print farms, fibre-reinforced composite 3D printing, laser additive manufacturing and more. Together, they offered an end-to-end investigation of the market applications and technical considerations associated with these technologies, from equipment to post-processing.
Among these additions was the inaugural 3D Print Farm Conference and Showcase Area, held in collaboration with Nanjixiong and Sunlu. This new feature attracted over 1,000 registrants from across the 3D print farm supply chain. The conference comprised 14 presentations exploring industry challenges and new product releases, while the showcase area facilitated connections between 3D print farm operators, equipment manufacturers, buyers and end-users.
Exhibitor feedback:
“Our decision to exhibit at Formnext + PM South China on such a grand scale reflects our full recognition of the event’s global impact. Since the exhibition opened, our booth has been bustling with visitors from various industries, including automotive manufacturers and processors. They have shown keen interest in adopting digital manufacturing technologies such as metal 3D printing to enhance their core competitiveness.”
Mr Lucas Lin, Sales Director (Southern Region of China), Xi’an Bright Laser Technologies Co Ltd
“The advantage of this event, for us, is its precision. The customers are consistently engaged, of excellent quality, and arrive with clear objectives. Our booth has performed exceptionally well this year, attracting a strong turnout of high-quality visitors bringing well-defined questions. Notably, we’ve seen a significant increase in international customers and potential collaborators compared to last year.”
Mr Zhao Hua, Chief Executive of Personalization and 3D Printing in Greater China, China HP Co Ltd
“Formnext is an important exhibition for additive manufacturing in China, capable of bringing together exhibitors and visitors on a national and international scale. Today, we have received visitors from additive manufacturing technology departments, welding technicians, universities, aerospace, military, and enterprises in the mould-making sector, all highly relevant to this industry.”
Mr Zhao Lupeng, Sales Manager, Nanjing Enigma Automation Technology Co Ltd
“For us, the highlight of Formnext + PM South China is the opportunity to connect with clients from three major advanced manufacturing sectors at once, allowing us to quickly expand to a broader user base. Participating in the exhibition helps us to understand new products, trends, technologies, processes and solutions within the industry. Meeting both familiar powder metallurgy contacts and new faces from other fields has made our participation highly rewarding and effective.”
Mr Zeng Xiongxin, Deputy General Manager, Sinterzone
“Our exhibition experience has been highly successful and rewarding. The organisers have provided a mature platform, allowing us to exchange cutting-edge technologies with industry peers and discuss the future prospects of equipment development. In addition, we were able to promote our products to a large number of high-quality domestic and international customers for in-depth communication and exchange.”
Ms Hong Cuicui, General Manager, Mei-Yang Vacuum
Visitor feedback:
“Our company, based in Austria, is seeking to grow our additive manufacturing presence in the Chinese market. Attending Formnext + PM South China has been valuable for evaluating reactions to our new thermoset SLS material. We have had constructive discussions with existing partners and made a several promising new contacts. The significant representation of ceramics companies complements our ongoing research in this field.”
Mr Antoine Cantin, 3D-Print Manager, TIGER New Surface Materials (Suzhou) Co Ltd
“As first-time visitors, we are here to connect with consumer-grade 3D printing manufacturers. We’ve identified several promising exhibitors for negotiations, and have discussed business development with our existing customers. I also attended an on-site forum about 3D printing farms, which is a business direction our company is interested in. The speakers shared information on export strategies for small and medium enterprises, which I found quite valuable.”
Ms Liu Yan, Sales, Shenzhen Safevalue Technology Co Ltd
Seminar participant feedback:
“Anisoprint regularly exhibits at Formnext + PM South China, and this year, we are presenting a collection of international case studies to help strengthen support for new technologies in the domestic industry. The forum’s theme aligns well with current market trends, and it has attracted representatives from a wide variety of materials companies. We believe this platform can help to raise awareness of continuous fibre technology among industry peers and improve its standing in the market.”
Mr Ryan Liu, CEO, Anisoprint 3D Printing Technology (Suzhou) Limited Company
“Our company is a provider of vacuum furnace heating chamber solutions, so we are very interested in additive manufacturing and powder metallurgy technologies. This forum’s format allows us to hear insights from industry leaders such as HP and Farsoon from one venue. I’ve seen some genuinely interesting advancements here, and each year, attending this exhibition provides insights that benefit my work.”
Mr Gao Qifei, General Manager, Shaanxi Getwick Metal Technology Co Ltd
Formnext + PM South China is jointly organised by Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt Co Ltd and Uniris Exhibition (Shenzhen) Co Ltd. The fair is a part of the global Formnext portfolio of events, which includes:
- IMTS 2024 Additive Manufacturing Sector – Accelerated by Formnext: 9 – 14 September 2024, Chicago, USA
- Formnext Forum Tokyo: 26 – 27 September 2024, Tokyo, Japan
- Formnext: 19 – 22 November 2024, Frankfurt, Germany
- Formnext Chicago: 8 – 10 April 2025, Chicago, USA
For more information, please visit www.formnext-pm.com or email formnext‑pm@china.