Manufacturing Trade Shows

The manufacturing trade shows worth knowing

Manufacturing shows split by the process you run more than by the industry you sell into. A machine shop owner, a packaging engineer and a plastics processor could work in the same plant and still pick three different events. Here are the main ones by type, with who each is built for. Dates for all of them are in the list above.

Machine tools, metalworking & fabrication

• IMTS (Chicago, September 2028). Best for: buyers of machine tools, tooling, controls and the rest of the equipment on a production floor. The organiser calls it the largest manufacturing trade show in the Western Hemisphere. AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology runs it at McCormick Place every other year, so there is no 2027 show.
• FABTECH (Las Vegas, October 2026; Chicago, September 2027). Best for: metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing. Its regional siblings are FABTECH Mexico (Monterrey, May) and FABTECH Canada (Toronto, June 2028).
• Hannover Messe (Hannover, April). Best for: companies covering the European market across automation, energy, logistics and digital manufacturing. Deutsche Messe runs it.
• Manufacturing Technology Series WEST (Long Beach, November 2027), EASTEC (West Springfield, May), and the Southeast (Greenville, October 2027) and Southwest (Dallas, November 2027) Manufacturing Technology Expos. Best for: shops that want machining, tooling and automation suppliers within driving distance.
• CMTS (Toronto, September 2027) and Expo Manufactura (Monterrey, February). Best for: manufacturers in Canada and Mexico looking at machine tools, CNC, automation and additive equipment.

Automation & robotics

• Automate (Las Vegas, May 2027). Best for: engineers and buyers looking at robotics, motion control and AI on the factory floor. The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) runs it, and its members-only A3 Business Forum (Orlando, January) is for automation executives.
• Automation Fair (Boston, November). Best for: plants running Rockwell Automation systems. Rockwell hosts it, with technology demonstrations and educational sessions.
• The Assembly Show (Rosemont, October). Best for: assembly and production engineers sourcing automated assembly systems, robotics and production equipment.

3D printing & advanced materials

• RAPID + TCT (Detroit, April). Best for: engineers and designers bringing additive manufacturing into production. SME runs it.
• Formnext (Frankfurt, November 2026 and October 2027). Best for: the international additive manufacturing industry: machines, materials and processes.
• AMUG Conference (Atlantic City, March). Best for: experienced 3D printing users and technicians. It's run by a users group, and the program is technical presentations and hands-on workshops on real applications.
• CAMX (Anaheim, October 2027). Best for: composites and advanced materials. See the 3D printing trade shows page for more.

Plastics & process industries

• NPE: The Plastics Show (Orlando, May 2027). Best for: plastics processors, moldmakers and materials buyers. The Plastics Industry Association holds it every three years.
• Plastimagen (Mexico City, November) and AMI Plastics World Expo (Cleveland, November). Best for: plastics in the Mexican market, and extrusion, compounding, recycling and polymer testing respectively.
• The Powder Show (Rosemont, April). Best for: process engineers and plant managers in powder and bulk solids handling and dry processing.

Packaging & materials handling

• PACK EXPO International (Chicago, October) and PACK EXPO Las Vegas (September 2027). Best for: buyers of packaging and processing machinery and materials. PMMI runs both: Chicago in even years, Las Vegas in odd ones. PACK EXPO Southeast (Atlanta, April) covers the region. More on the packaging page.
• ProMat (Chicago, April 2027) and MODEX (Atlanta, April 2028). Best for: anyone moving material through a plant or warehouse: conveyors, robotics, automation and racking. MHI runs both, in alternate years.

Electronics & semiconductors

• IPC APEX Expo (Anaheim, April). Best for: electronics manufacturing: PCB designers and fabricators, EMS companies and OEMs.
• SEMICON West (Phoenix, March 2027). Best for: the semiconductor supply chain: chipmakers and their equipment and materials suppliers. SEMI runs it, and moves it from San Francisco to Phoenix, which it describes as the show's long-term home.

Medical device & pharmaceutical manufacturing

• MD&M West (Anaheim, February), MD&M East (New York, May) and MD&M Midwest (Minneapolis, October). Best for: medical device engineers and the component and packaging suppliers who serve them. Informa Markets runs all three.
• Interphex (New York, April) and the ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo (Chula Vista, October 2027). Best for: pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturing, from process equipment to regulatory compliance.

Aerospace

• Paris Air Show (Le Bourget, June 2027) and Farnborough International Airshow (Farnborough, July 2028). Best for: aircraft makers, defence contractors and their suppliers. The two alternate years.
• AeroDef Manufacturing (Detroit, April). Best for: manufacturing technology and processes for aerospace and defense. SME runs it.
• MRO Americas (Orlando, April). Best for: aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul. See the aerospace page for more.

Plant leadership & regional networking

• American Manufacturing Summit (Chicago, March). Best for: senior manufacturing, operations and plant leaders. It's invitation-only, with pre-arranged one-to-one meetings with solution providers.
• Midwest Manufacturers Trade Show and Conference (Branson, February). Best for: smaller Midwest manufacturers who want a compact regional show with keynotes and breakout sessions.