HANNOVER, Germany - Smart factories, integrated manufacturing solutions and new panel processing technology for facilities of all sizes was out in force for the thousands of visitors in attendance at LIGNA, the world's largest woodworking show. Stretched across more than 1.4 million net square feet, and featuring displays by more than 1,500 companies,  the biennial LIGNA runs through May 31 at the Fairgrounds in Hannover, Germany.

The "emotigun", a motor-powered, remote-controlled slingshot that shoots out emojis, was inspired by a meme of Silvester Stallone shooting Facebook likes from a 50-caliber machine gun.

The founders of SkipTheDishes, a Canadian food delivery app worth at least $200 million, are trying their hands at another venture: Furniture subscription.

Three U.S. senators, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the University of Maine have launched a major $20 million initiative to advance 3D printing with wood.

Twelve hundred "mechanical trees" will suck carbon dioxide from the air as part of a joint effort between Arizona State University and Ireland-based Silicon Kingdom Holdings (SKH).

MIT's Self Assembly Lab has been developing new approaches to furniture manufacturing using new forms of high-speed 3D printing, working with Autodesk, Steelcase and other partners.

Industry 4.0 has not only radically changed the furniture manufacturing, but also the expectations of the customers and how they interact with businesses. interzum 2019, May 21-24 in Cologne, explores the trend.

Two companies in Germany, Maschinenbau Hebrock GmbH and Altendorf GmbH, are also part of the Altendorf Group.

The users’ group meeting offers multiple levels of user education from Hexagon's top thinkers in keynote presentations to interactive sessions with product experts at the ground level.