Challenging Market, Industry Conditions Lead to Postponement of Formnext Chicago

The organizations behind Formnext Chicago have decided to postpone the trade show, which was due to launch April 8-10, 2025, at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

“In light of the current market conditions, the structural dynamics of additive manufacturing (AM), and scheduling conflicts with another AM show, it became increasingly difficult for us to host a successful and impactful event,” says Douglas K. Woods, president of AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which organized the show with Mesago Messe Frankfurt (the producers of Formnext in Germany) and Gardner Business Media (GBM). “After careful consideration, we believe that postponement of Formnext Chicago is the most responsible decision under current circumstances.”

Woods continued: “Our priority is to support the buyer and seller community in ways that truly benefit their businesses, and we believe this is the best course of action to achieve that goal. AMT represents the builders of technology, and we’re guided by our focus on acting in the best interest of our members and the manufacturing technology industry community as a whole.”

The objective of creating Formnext Chicago was to bring together the entire additive manufacturing and industrial production ecosystem in North America, expanding the success of Formnext in Germany, the largest AM event in the world.

“Our goal as an organization is to bring communities together and move them forward,” Woods says. “We will continue to build bridges between buyers and sellers of AM technology, the manufacturing and AM communities, and the organizations supporting the technology, an objective that will continue at IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show in 2026 with enhancements to the Additive Manufacturing Sector and expanded conferences at the world’s largest manufacturing event.”

“We feel that it is not the right timing or the appropriate signal to the market to proceed with the launch in 2025,” says Sascha F. Wenzler, vice president of Formnext, Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH. “Our focus remains on supporting the industry, and postponing the event allows us to better align with the evolving needs of companies and the market landscape.”

Rick Kline Jr., president of Gardner Business Media concurs. “As disappointed as we are to postpone Formnext Chicago, we remain committed to serving and growing the industrial additive manufacturing community through content and events,” Kline Jr. says. “Our broad manufacturing audience represents the sweet spot for growth in the market. Highlighted by the editorial leadership of ‘Additive Manufacturing Media,’ we remain focused on driving AM awareness. We have great partners in AMT and Mesago and look forward to the continued introduction of solutions that bring value and opportunity to the market.”

Because of the strength of the Additive Manufacturing Sector, accelerated by Formnext at IMTS 2024 and the enthusiasm for the 23-plus presentations on the Formnext Stage, IMTS has become an AM destination for the manufacturing community.

“We will leverage our partnership with Mesago and GBM to expand the presence of AM at IMTS 2026 to deliver new and bigger benefits to everyone in the AM value chain, including existing AM adopters and industrial manufacturers that represent the future of AM growth,” Woods says.