Announcement of the winners of the Formnext Start-Up Challenge 2022

For the eighth time in history, the international trade fair for 3D printing – Formnext, conducted the Start-Up Challenge competition, during which it awards young companies from the world of 3D printing for their innovative business ideas and technical solutions. The award is, among others a stand at the fair, in a specially designated area. This year, the winners who will present themselves to the additive technology industry at Formnext 2022 are Photosynthetic (Netherlands), Lattice Medical (France), Rivelin Robotics (UK), SphereCube (Italy) and Alpha Powders (Poland). The French company also received the AM Ventures Impact Award.

Start-ups were selected for both the high level of creativity shown in product development and the viability of business models. The companies were able to provide evidence of the existence of patents or patents pending and also demonstrated very promising uses for their products or services.

The Polish start-up Alpha Powders has developed and patented a technology for modifying polymer powders on demand. Dutch start-up Photosynthetic specializes in fast and cost-effective micro 3D printing. British start-up Rivelin Robotics focuses on improving efficiency in the additive process chain. NetShape robots offer a 10x potential to reduce operational costs and post-processing errors. The Italian start-up SphereCube focuses on greater stability – the company has developed a 3D printing technology that is able to process composites from continuous fibers, thus enabling the automated production of products from high-performance composites in any desired shape. In turn, the biomedical start-up Lattice Medical has developed a bioabsorbable and personalized implant for breast reconstruction and enlargement using the patented 3D technology, which supports the natural regeneration of adipose tissue without introducing foreign bodies.

With this entry, Lattice Medical won the AM Ventures Impact Award, which honors particularly sustainable approaches. In addition to the innovative design and manufacturing method, AM Ventures was particularly impressed with the minimization of the risks that can occur with traditional implants, the team’s technical expertise, and the solid research results supporting the application.

Formnext Start-up Challenge 2022 distinguishes innovative, profitable business ideas of companies established in the last five years. The distinguished panel of judges consists of eminent representatives of the world of industry, science, media and investment. Each winner will have a dedicated exhibition stand and will also present themselves at the Formnext Pitchnext event on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.

WINNERS FORMNEXT START-UP CHALLENGE 2022

The Polish start-up Alpha Powders (stand 12.0-B81G) has developed and patented the technology of powdering, spheroidizing and modifying polymer powders on demand. The company is currently focusing on developing a compact device specifically for R&D laboratories working on new SLS powders. The prototype has been tested with a variety of materials including polyamides, TPU or polyolefin powders, and has been proven to reliably produce spherical SLS powders in a dry process. The company continues to develop this technology and intends to offer pilot and production scale solutions in the coming years.

Lattice Medical (stand 12.0-B81B) is a biomedical start-up that was established in October 2017. The French company, in collaboration with CHU Lille-France, has developed a patented 3D technology that enables the natural regeneration of adipose tissue, bringing huge improvements in, for example, the procedure of implanting breast implants. The Mat (t) isse bioprosthesis is made of 3D printed biomaterials, is fully bioabsorbable and adapted to the patient’s individual morphology. The breasts are thus completely reconstructed from the patient’s own tissue and no foreign bodies are introduced

Photosynthetic (stand 12.0-B81H) specializes in fast and economical micro 3D printing. 3D microstructures are typically fabricated using conventional methods such as two-photon lithography (TPL), stereolithography (SLA), and optical grayscale lithography (OGL). In turn, the patented technology of the Dutch start-up uses an optical hardware system, resins based on single-photon polymerization and computer algorithms to control the printing process. The new Photosynthetic micro 3D printer enables fast microproduction (50 mm3 / hour) in high resolution mode (<1 micron).

Thanks to NetShape robots, the British start-up Rivelin Robotics (stand 12.0-B41) has developed a solution for high-speed post-processing of metal parts and components manufactured using the additive method. In many metal machining applications, post-treatment contributes up to 30% of the unit cost per part. For prop removal and targeted finishing, Rivelin developed NetShape robots, powered by powerful NetShape control software that uses both machine learning and traditional deterministic control theory. The result is an automated prop removal solution that reduces defects by 90%, results in a 10-fold reduction in operating costs, and eliminates risk and variability for humans.

The Italian start-up SphereCube (stand 12.0-B81A) has developed a 3D printing technology that is able to process polymer-based composite materials or a thermosetting matrix with continuous fiber reinforcement, thus enabling the automated production of high-performance composites in any shape. According to the company, its technology differs from the heat-curing processes currently available, which improves the wetting and bonding of the reinforcement fibers, matrix and 3D-printed layers.

Source: www.formnext.mesago.com