Trade fairs and conferences

The DDMC is a bi-annual, cutting-edge discussion forum on the topic of additive manufacturing, including its application in industry and the environmental impact of these new manufacturing technologies. The impact on health, sustainability and technology will also be discussed. The DDMC brings together researchers, educators, entrepreneurs and practitioners of additive manufacturing technologies from around the world and enables the development of new ideas and the optimisation of existing research developments.

The conference is organised by the Fraunhofer Competence Field Additive Manufacturing. The conference programme includes keynotes, presentations and poster sessions. Specific thematic focuses of the DDMC 2025 are

• Product development
• Technologies, including bio-printing, hybrid processes, technological innovations
• Materials, including ceramics, biomaterials, powders, polymers, multi-material approaches
• Quality, including process monitoring, quality management of parts
• Post-processing, including surface finishing, process chains for industrial production
• Algorithms and software (digitalisation, AI and machine learning, design and simulation for additive manufacturing)
• Sustainability and circular economy
• Latest industrial trends and industrial successes 

One of the competences of the Fraunhofer IST is the surface treatment of components in the field of additive manufacturing. The optimization of the surface is carried out taking into account the component material, the desired surface properties and the specific conditions of use. The focus here is on the treatment of complex, filigree geometries. In particular, surface roughness through levelling or targeted roughening, layer structure and layer composition and thus the layer properties are varied. At the same time, the entire production chain is coordinated and optimized in addition to the pure surface optimization: in pre-processing, construction process for plastics and in post-processing, including the design of stress-reducing treatments. A thin-film sensor system that is also directly applied enables the measurement of local strains on the component and thus an intelligent component design.