Winners of the Formnext Start-up Challenge impress judges with atomic precision, glass 3D printing and medical applications

For the seventh time, the international Formnext Start-up Challenge has recognized young enterprises from the world of additive manufacturing for their innovative business ideas and technical developments. In 2021, the winning innovations range from nano and glass 3D printing through to new medical solutions for spine patients. They come from the following winners: Atlant 3D Nanosystems (Denmark), Azul 3D (USA), Fited (USA), Print Parts (USA) and Nobula Sweden). This year the AM Ventures Impact Award presented at the same ceremony goes to Vispala Technologies (India).

In 2021, the quality of the start-ups and their innovations developed a step further. They boast numerous patents – some already awarded and some still pending – and promising applications. In some cases, over 50 million euros have already been poured into the young enterprises’ developments, and so it is no surprise how market-ready and promising their innovations were. They promise greater precision for 3D printing, considerably faster production or new applications, for example in medicine and aerospace.

Atlant 3D Nanosystems, a start-up from Denmark, is developing a platform for the 3D printing of components with atomic precision. The US start-up Print Parts is also involved in nanotechnology. The company has developed a solution that uses a signature based on nanoparticles to detect and register 3D printed parts throughout their entire lifetime. The young US enterprise Azul 3D is promising nothing less than to revolutionize the entire 3D printing market with its new HARP technology. HARP is intended to significantly speed up production while offering the precision for which the company is known. Fited is a start-up aiming to achieve better chances of healing for people with deformed spines. The company has developed a smart solution comprising the automatic design and 3D printing of scoliosis braces. And Nobula from Sweden has developed a more versatile solution for glass printing including printer and printing material.

“The ever increasing quality and focused development of young enterprises show the great potential within the AM industry and highlight the fact that the sector produces critical developments that in future will influence our industry, medicine and other areas of of life,” states Sascha F. Wenzler, Vice President of Formnext at Mesago Messe Frankfurt, the trade show organizer.

The Formnext Start-up Challenge 2021 recognizes companies that are no more than five years old. The competition evaluates new and viable business ideas with a distinguished panel of judges consisting of prominent representatives from the realms of industry, science, media, and investment.

The international winners will present their award winning products during Formnext in Frankfurt from November 16 to 19, 2021 and exhibit them in the Start-up Area.

Digital signature with nanoparticles
The US start-up Print Parts has developed a digital signature embedded in parts produced by additive manufacturing. It makes components scannable, serialized and cloud-connected. The platform combines management, authentication and tracing of 3D printed parts.

Programmable nanoparticles are embedded in additive materials or subsequently added to the components. Smart scanners can detect and register particles in these “SmartParts”. Component histories are stored on the SmartParts platform and managed by Build Manager or an existing MES/ERP system.

Learn more about SmartParts at www.smartparts.com

Visit us at Formnext 2021 at booth 12.0 B81B