Theme: Aligning together – Enabling Use Cases by Applying Civilian and Military Standards 

Organized by U.S. Commercial Service, ASTM International, ISO – International Organization for Standardization, and in partnership with Mesago Formnext.

Held during Formnext 2026, this one-day summit brings together leading voices from government, industry, and standards organizations.

Aligning together means bringing civilian and military standards into closer harmony to unlock the full potential of additive manufacturing. By aligning requirements and approaches, we can accelerate certification, strengthen interoperability, and reduce duplicated effort across sectors. While defense remains an important driver, the added value extends far beyond the defense industry—benefiting aerospace, energy, healthcare, mobility, and other critical manufacturing domains that rely on safe, certified, and scalable solutions. This summit brings together experts from industry, defense, and standardization bodies to translate standards into practical use cases and cross-sector innovation. Through shared knowledge and collaboration, we aim to shape a coherent standards landscape that enables reliable, widely applicable additive manufacturing solutions.

Through keynotes, user presentations, fireside chats, and interactive breakout workshops, we aim to deliver practical, actionable insights. The debriefing will be complemented by a cultural event, offering participants the opportunity not only to deepen their understanding of additive manufacturing but also to experience the unique character of Frankfurt—known as the “Formnext City”—and its home state of Hesse.

This is your opportunity to engage directly with the organizations shaping the AM ecosystem and help build common ground for trusted, standards-based adoption.

This event is open to all involved in additive manufacturing—from engineering and operations to standards, policy, and strategy. We especially welcome:

• Executives, Engineers, and Technical Managers
• Quality & Certification Leads
• Standards professionals and government representatives
• Researchers, academics, and advisors in AM policy or adoption
• Anyone working to scale AM responsibly and cost-effectively

• Gain first-hand insights from major OEMs, government officials, associations, and standards leaders
• Understand how AM qualification challenges are being addressed across industries
• Explore real-world case studies and strategic opportunities for business in defense applications
• Take part in breakout workshop and experience the added-value standards can deliver – both civilian and military
• Contribute your expertise and leave with practical takeaways for implementing AM at scale.