With an exclusive agreement in place, Rapid Fusion is entering the Italian market alongside Aivox. The partnership is designed to position the company’s LFAM systems in sectors ranging from architecture and medtech to fashion and naval applications.

Marking its 30th edition, Fakuma 2026 in Friedrichshafen (12–16 October) is rolling out its biggest supporting programme yet — from a new Innovation Award and the debut Paul Eberhard Schall Medal to a Round Table on European industry resilience, a startup showcase and Career Friday for young talent. Beyond the exhibits spanning injection moulding to recycling, the anniversary event promises a packed calendar of discussion, discovery and recognition for the plastics processing world.

In October 2026, Fakuma will once again attract international visitors to the trade fair centre at Lake Constance. The exhibition will cover the entire chain of plasicts processing, from raw material handling to injection moulding and 3D printing.

The Formnext Awards 2026 are now open for submissions, once again highlighting outstanding achievements across the additive manufacturing industry. Presented in six categories, the awards recognize technological innovation, sustainable solutions, viable business models, design excellence and personal commitment within the AM community.

At JEC World, Krauss Maffei is showcasing how industrial additive manufacturing, reaction engineering, and injection moulding can be combined into integrated production solutions.

Hiroshima University researchers are working on 3D printing tungsten carbide–cobalt (WC–Co), a super-hard material used in cutting and construction tools. Their hot-wire laser approach uses less of the expensive raw material and still delivers very high hardness, pointing to a more efficient way to make wear-resistant parts.

According to Speedpart, the printable plastic material Accura Xtreme Black helps meet current requirements in additive manufacturing.

From 0.7 mm O-rings to precision hearing aid components, Starlim specialises in producing silicone micro parts at industrial scale. Its dedicated micro moulding department combines Wittmann Micropower machines, in-house mould making and cleanroom production.

With a major update to Geomagic Freeform, Hexagon is aiming to make advanced 3D design easier to access for manufacturers, designers and small businesses.

Metal additive manufacturing is moving fast in metalworking, but one issue still blocks wider shop-floor adoption: internal defects that don’t show up until parts fail in service. A team from Kims and the Max Planck Institute has developed an explainable AI model for laser powder bed fusion that evaluates not just how much porosity a part has, but what kind of pores form, where they sit, and how they weaken mechanical performance.