Returning to the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center from 26 – 28 August,

Formnext Asia Shenzhen 2026 will examine how additive manufacturing (AM) is being applied to one of AI infrastructure’s fastest-growing engineering demands: thermal management. With high-density AI server chips exceeding the thermal limits of traditional air cooling, manufacturers are turning to additive manufacturing to produce liquid cooling components that are too complex for standard machining. The exhibition will feature the equipment and materials behind these applications, set within a wider line-up spanning AM systems, materials, software, post-processing and production services. Confirmed participants include Bambu Lab, CNPC Powder, Creality, Farsoon Technologies, Graphenova, HBD, Intamsys, Kings 3D, Meshy AI, Raise3D, Southern Additive, Tripo AI, UNILASER, UnionTech and Zhongyuan Advanced Materials.

Thermal management for next-generation AI computing will be one of the defining application areas of the 2026 edition. A confirmed cluster of exhibitors will cover the industrial 3D printing production chain for liquid cooling components end-to-end, from raw metal powders through to batch component services, supported by a new forum examining AM applications in liquid cooling and heat management.

AM’s take on AI’s heat problem

The more powerful AI infrastructure becomes, the harder it is to keep cool. As computing workloads increase, next-generation processors are generating more heat than conventional air cooling can reliably handle. Liquid cooling offers a more effective alternative, circulating coolant through internal channels in metal cold plates mounted directly on the chip and carrying heat away before it can build up.

It is these internal channels where standard machining runs into trouble. Producing straight passages is easily manageable, but curved, branching and form-fitting channels that follow the contours of the chip are a different matter entirely. Achieving them typically means joining separate metal parts together, with every joint a potential leak path to electronics that are both sensitive – and rarely inexpensive – to replace. This is where additive manufacturing comes in, producing components such as cold plates and heat exchangers as a single, unbroken printed component, with considerably more freedom in how those internal channels are designed.

Once a specialist solution, liquid cooling is now moving quickly into the mainstream of AI infrastructure. Goldman Sachs expects liquid-cooled AI servers to climb from 15 percent market penetration in 2024 to 76 percent in 2026[1], while Reuters, citing a JPMorgan report, projects the global market for AI server liquid cooling systems will exceed USD 17 billion this year, up from only USD 8.9 billion last year.[2]

To support this fast-growing area of demand, Formnext Asia Shenzhen 2026 will turn up the heat on the global AM supply chain, bringing together key suppliers of the printing systems, metal powders and batch production services required for liquid cooling at scale.

Among them, AM equipment suppliers Addireen, AmPro, BCX Laser, Farsoon Technologies, FastForm3D, Han’s Laser, HP Additive, Southern Additive and UNILASER will present laser and SLM systems capable of processing pure copper and copper alloys, materials valued in cooling applications for their ability to dissipate heat but historically difficult to print using metal AM. Grinm Additive and Zhongyuan Advanced Materials will showcase aluminium and copper powders developed for 3D printed cooling components.

Binder jetting and powder extrusion will also be represented on the floor. HP 3D Printing will demonstrate binder jetting for the batch production of copper cooling components, while Uprise 3D will exhibit powder extrusion systems for technical ceramics used in thermal insulation and management.

New liquid cooling AM forum pairs with PCIM Asia Shenzhen co-location on thermal management for AI
Complementing the exhibition floor, additive manufacturing applications in thermal management will be further examined through the new Thermal Management and Liquid Cooling AM Forum. The forum will feature industry experts and representatives from exhibiting companies presenting application cases for 3D printed components in AI server environments, with the wider fringe programme extending to AM applications in other emerging industrial areas, including low-altitude aviation and drones, new energy vehicles, and robotics.

The 2026 edition will also be held concurrently with PCIM Asia Shenzhen, the region’s leading exhibition and conference for power electronics, intelligent motion, renewable energy and energy management, which in 2026 will similarly expand its focus on AI and data centre applications. For Formnext Asia Shenzhen participants, the co-location places them in the same venue as the engineers, component suppliers and system specialists working on the power requirements of high-density computing, and in closer contact with the end-use requirements, procurement activity and business relationships shaping demand in this area.

Confirmed exhibitors across the AM supply chain
This application area sits within a wider 2026 line-up spanning metal and polymer equipment, materials, software, scanning, and post-processing. Leading exhibitors confirmed to date include:

• Metal AM equipment: Farsoon Technologies, CharmRay Laser, DEW, EASYMFG, Enigma, Haitian Additive, Kings 3D, GLB, Southern Additive, UNILASER and Zengyi Technology
• Other 3D printing equipment: Blue Core Intelligent, Creality, ELEGOO, Flashforge, INTAMSYS, PollyPolymer, Prismlab, Raise3D, TPM3D, UnionTech and Zrapid
• Metal materials: Acc Material, CNPC Powder, P7 Materials, Zhongyuan Advanced Materials, Sino-Euro and Sunrise New Materials
• Other materials: eSUN, Graphenova, KINGFA, LayerCube, Resione and Sunlu
• Software: BasicSoft, DreamTech, Hitem 3D, Meigou Information, Meshy AI and Tripo AI, Deep-Mesh
• Scanning, post-processing and related technologies: BCX Laser, Becker, DLyte, Optris, Revopoint and Scantech, Han’s Photonics