Mark Dickin, Head of Additive Manufacturing & Applications
As Formnext 2025 approaches, we want to take a moment to share an important update with our customers, partners, and peers across the additive manufacturing (AM) community.
This year marks what would have been Ricoh 3D’s 10th year exhibiting at Formnext – the global stage for innovation in AM. Over the years, it’s become an event we’ve cherished, where collaboration thrives, and ideas take shape.
Through our groundbreaking metal AM activities with customers and partners, we’ve decided to approach Formnext 2025 in a slightly different way to previous years… Instead of setting up a booth at this year’s event, we’re keen to keep the narrative going through conversations.
(Don’t worry – we’re still attending – as shared below, and we look forward to seeing you soon!)
A Strategic Pause
Simply put, technology development is right on time. And great technology takes time.
Over the past three years, we’ve been proud to showcase Ricoh’s unique aluminium binder jetting (BJT) technology at Formnext. During this period, our teams in the UK and Japan have made major strides that position us on the brink of true industrialisation.
Rather than standing still, we’re focusing our efforts where it matters most — advancing the technology from demonstration to real-world production. Our focus has shifted from showcasing innovation to delivering it at scale.
Technology Breakthroughs
Ricoh’s aluminium binder jetting journey has been defined by Ricoh’s Kaizen (continuous improvement) culture and co-creation with our partners. Key recent developments include:
- Enhanced Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) capabilities that unlock new potential for lightweighting and heat dissipation efficiency.
- A clearer focus on thermal management applications, addressing the needs of next-generation electronics, mobility systems, and more.
- New binders enabling the production of higher-strength green bodies, supporting a reduced de-powdering time.
- Hybrid manufacturing compatibility, achieved through Ricoh’s unique joining technology — bridging the gap between additive and conventional methods.
These milestones demonstrate our determination to transform aluminium BJT from a promising innovation into a sustainable, mass-production-ready manufacturing process.
From these developments, we are proud to be working with a number of ‘proof of concept’ customers and heatsink suppliers and are now undertaking further comprehensive testing for the realisation of mass production and ‘go-to-market’.
Award and Recognition
In October 2025, Ricoh Company Ltd was honoured with 1st place in the 6th annual workshop, ‘Sinter-based Additive Manufacturing’ by Fraunhofer IFAM in Bremen, Germany.
Our winning case study showcased innovative AlSi alloy heat sink fins (as part of a highly efficient EV inverter liquid-cooling heatsink) designed and produced using aluminium BJT – a testament to the technology’s capability to deliver high-performance, thermally optimised components for demanding applications. The results of a CFD analysis were also plauded, demonstrating a cooling efficiency which exceeds that of conventional copper plate fins.
This recognition reinforces Ricoh’s metal additive manufacturing mission: to realise the mass production of aluminium components through binder jetting and contribute to a more sustainable future.
From Partners to Production
In the early stages of our aluminium binder jetting programme, our goal was to establish beta development partnerships — to learn, iterate, and refine. Now, with the technology’s maturity and proven performance, we’re ready to move forward.
Ricoh 3D and our R&D counterparts in Japan are now seeking to collaborate with customers who want to shape the future of metal additive manufacturing.
Interested in being a part of this collaboration? Contact us today.
Together, we aim to accelerate the move toward scalable production of components such as:
- Inverters
- Motors
- Heatsinks
- Heat exchangers
- Cooling plates
- And more!
Whether you’re developing electric vehicle (EV) battery packs, power inverters, electric motors, or next-gen consumer electronics, Ricoh’s BJT delivers thermal efficiency and compact form factors that are otherwise impossible to achieve.
If your organisation is ready to explore how aluminium BJT can redefine your products and processes, now is the time to connect.
Visit our Metal AM Customer Experience Centre
While we won’t be exhibiting at Formnext 2025, our factory doors remain open. We invite you to visit our Metal AM CEC in Telford, UK, to:
- Discuss your components and applications,
- Share your challenges and pain points,
- Discover co-creation opportunities with our expert team.
This is where innovation becomes reality, and where the future of metal AM takes shape.
We’ll Still See You at Formnext
To reiterate, Ricoh 3D will still have a presence at the show – and we’re excited to keep the conversation going! Our Senior AM Engineers, Richard Minifie and Enrico Gallino, will both be attending Formnext on 19–20 November 2025.
If you’d like to learn more about our exciting metal developments or polymer print service offerings, please reach out to them directly to arrange a meeting. Alternatively, click here to contact us via our general enquiries.
Looking Ahead
By focusing our efforts on niche application-focussed events, deep technology development and customer collaboration, Ricoh 3D is preparing for the next era of additive manufacturing, where aluminium binder jetting moves from innovation to industrialisation.
We look forward to sharing what comes next.
Ricoh 3D is manufacturing a sustainable future… And you can too.