3Dnatives announces ADDITIV Metals 2026
3Dnatives has announced that ADDITIV Metals 2026, a global virtual summit tackling bottlenecks in metal Additive Manufacturing, is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. The event consists of three expert panels, live audience Q&As, and AI-powered networking. Each panel is designed around an unresolved challenge that is actively slowing metal AM adoption in industrial production.
The global metal AM market is projected to grow from $6.02 billion to $7.02 billion in 2026 alone (Research and Markets). According to the 2026 Wohlers Report, metals revenue (including powder and wire) grew at 15.3% year-over-year in 2025. The infrastructure is scaling. The question now is whether engineers and operators have the frameworks to scale with it. ADDITIV Metals 2026 is intended to address this question.
“Metal AM has been ‘almost there’ for a decade. What’s changed in the last few years is that the conversation has shifted from ‘can it be done?’ to ‘why is it taking so long?’ ADDITIV Metals exists to accelerate that second conversation,” Filippos Voulpiotis, Managing Director of 3Dnatives, shared.
Panel 1: Diverse Metal Roadmaps – When to Push LPBF and When to Pivot to Alternatives
As Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) matures into a production standard, a new generation of challenger technologies is reshaping the cost-per-part equation. This session addresses the strategic process selection decisions that engineering teams are facing right now. Speakers include John Hart of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Ben Arnold of Tritone Technologies. The discussion will be moderated by Brent Stucker of Wohlers Associates.
Panel 2: The Certification Trap – Can AI Kill the 2-Year Testing Cycle in Metal AM?
A major bottleneck in metal AM in 2026 is the time required to prove a part will not fail in the field. This panel examines the move toward digital qualification frameworks and whether AI-driven approaches can accelerate certification cycles into something operationally viable. Gil Lavi of 3D Alliances will moderate the discussion, joined by speakers Sneha Prabha Narra of Carnegie Mellon University, Matthew Sermon of DRPM Submarines, and Sainyam Amarora of Johnson Matthey.
Panel 3: The Hidden Majority – Is Post-Processing Still the Single Greatest Barrier to Metal AM ROI?
Despite the promise of push-button fabrication, the path from build plate to finished part remains a labour-intensive journey through support removal, heat treatment, and surface finishing. This panel examines whether post-processing is the last major unsolved problem in metal AM economics. Sherri Monroe of AMGTA will be the moderator, and Ante Lausic of General Motors, Manuel Delgado of ValCUN, and Matthew Bailey of the Aerospace Technology Institute are speakers.
Beyond the panels, attendees will gain access to AI-powered peer matching through the Swapcard platform, with the ability to schedule one-on-one meetings before and after sessions. The event is expected to draw over 800 registered attendees from across the global metal AM ecosystem.
ADDITIV Metals 2026 from 10:00 am to 12:40 pm EDT (4:00 pm to 6:40 pm CEST) Those interested in attending can register here.
