On October 7, 2026, Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (Fraunhofer ILT) released a preview of its Formnext 2026 exhibit, announcing three cost-focused additive manufacturing innovations that will be showcased November 17-20 at Formnext in Frankfurt (Hall 11.0, Booth D31), targeting three areas: metal powder waste, porous structures, and part sensing. The highlight is the Fluidic Powder Switch: based on the Venturi principle, it starts and stops powder flow at the nozzle within milliseconds; it has no moving parts and near-zero wear, and its switching time is more than an order of magnitude shorter than mechanical systems. It supports multi-material switching and stepless adjustment of powder mass flow, is patented, and has entered series operation at initial customers. Metal powder is one of the largest cost items in laser cladding (LMD/EHLA), and this switch can significantly reduce wasted powder. Dr. Tim Lantzsch, head of the LPBF department, said the goal is to make additive manufacturing more economical and competitive across the process chain. The second innovation: LPBF (PBF-LB/M) enables controlled porous structures—dense and permeable zones formed integrally in the same monolithic part without post-processing. In the BMWE-funded LPBFCells project, a demonstrator of a pure titanium porous transport layer (PTL) for an electrolyzer was produced, featuring lower contact resistance and integrated flow fields and support structures. The third: embedded strain sensors—strain gauges printed in situ inside LPBF parts via inkjet/aerosol jetting. A 'smart wrench' demonstrator can output real-time data on load, deformation, and crack initiation, paving the way for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. Value for powder buyers: ① The powder switch greatly improves powder utilization in LMD/EHLA, reducing powder consumption per part, but improved process economics will expand laser cladding applications, driving total demand for nickel- and cobalt-based cladding powders in the medium to long term; ② Pure titanium powder for electrolyzer PTLs opens a new market for hydrogen equipment, with high requirements for powder purity and sphericity; ③ Watch for partner and mass-production plans announced on-site at Formnext in November, and engage early on validation needs.