Electronics manufacturing has a trade fair of its own again: EFX runs in Stuttgart for the first time from 6 to 8 October 2026. We are exhibiting — hall 9, stand C29 — and bringing the three subjects that currently shape every enquiry: glass fabric, HDI and ceramic.
From 6 to 8 October 2026, Stuttgart hosts EFX — the Expo for Electronics Manufacturing, and the first fair since SMTconnect ended that is devoted to electronics manufacturing alone. It fills the whole of hall 9 at Messe Stuttgart. We are there with a stand: hall 9, stand C29.
The format follows the process chain rather than one slice of it: from the component through the PCB and its base material to assembly, soldering, inspection and packaging. That is the right frame for us — the board gets discussed where it is later processed.
The fair in figures
- Dates: 6 to 8 October 2026, Messe Stuttgart, Messepiazza 1.
- Hall: all of it in hall 9 — no walking between halls, one circuit covers the fair.
- Exhibitors: 184 entries in the exhibitor directory (as of 13 September 2026); the organiser had announced 130+.
- Cycle: first edition, biennial from here on. Trade visitors only.
- Alongside: Quantum Effects, Vision and Motek on the same grounds, with mutual admission.
The programme beyond the stands
There is a supporting programme on top of walking the aisles: "From Lab to Fab" with Fraunhofer IZM, curated guided tours, a BME buyers' day, panels on cybersecurity, AI and greentech. For purchasing and engineering, that is the real reason to plan three days rather than one.
What we are bringing
Three subjects currently shape almost every enquiry, and on all three we would rather be specific at the stand than general.
First, base material: electronic glass fabric is tight, and the bottleneck sits three processing stages upstream of the finished board. What that means for lead times and for the choice of stack-up is kept current in our market update — at the stand, preferably against your actual build.
Second, HDI: microvias, blind and buried vias, filled and plugged through-holes. Third, ceramic, where FR-4 no longer keeps up thermally — and the question of whether the application really justifies the effort.