Following a breakthrough 2025 edition that saw visitor numbers climb 78% and international attendance more than double, organisers report early exhibitor response for Formnext Asia Shenzhen 2026 has been the strongest to date.
The event takes place 26–28 August at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, and with eight months still to go, nearly 70% of exhibition space has already been reserved, they say. With Shenzhen a global hub for desktop 3D printer manufacturing, the 2026 edition welcomes new exhibitors in emerging areas of the desktop additive manufacturing (AM) ecosystem, supported by upgraded fringe programming on tools and services in consumer-grade AM.
Across 20,000sqm, the exhibition covers the full AM process chain, from printing equipment and materials to workflow software, post-processing solutions and production services, with exhibitors addressing metal, polymer and ceramic applications.
Chinese manufacturers now account for the bulk of global desktop 3D printer output. In the first quarter of 2025, global shipments of entry-level systems exceeded one million units, with Chinese brands accounting for approximately 95% of that volume.
Growth continued through Q2, with entry-level shipments posting strong year-on-year gains. Shenzhen is one of the world’s key manufacturing centres for these systems and home to several of China’s fastest-growing brands in the segment.
Once largely used for prototyping, one-off parts and hobbyist projects, a growing segment of this output now supports commercial production. Print farms, for example, use multiple machines to manufacture end-use products at scale. This is driving demand for a wider ecosystem of tools and services around desktop printers, from design software to post-processing to routes to market such as service bureaus and online marketplaces.
At Formnext Asia Shenzhen, this segment has become a growing focus, with the 2026 edition expanding fringe programme coverage and welcoming new exhibitors in this space, including AI-assisted 3D modelling tools provider Meshy AI and materials specialist Kingfa Biomaterial.
The 3D Print Farm Conference, now in its third year as part of the Formnext Asia Shenzhen fringe programme, will be upgraded into the China 3D Print Farm and Consumer-Grade AM Ecosystem Conference.
Sessions will draw on print farm operators, industry experts and representatives from emerging application areas.
These new sessions will sit alongside the show’s wider fringe programme, which in 2025 featured 14 sessions and over 150 presentations covering technical developments, industry applications and business strategy across sectors including automotive, 3C electronics, mould-making and footwear. Further programme announcements will follow.
Organised by Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt Co Ltd, Formnext Asia Shenzhen is part of the international Formnext event family, headlined by Formnext, the world’s largest trade fair for Additive Manufacturing and the next generation of production. The next edition of Formnext will take place from 17–20 November 2026 in Frankfurt, Germany.
For more information, visit www.formnext-shenzhen.com or email formnextasia@china.messefrankfurt.com.
Source: www.exhibitionworld.co.uk
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