Elmia Production Fairs showcase Swedish Additive Manufacturing
The 2026 Elmia Production Fairs, organised by Elmia in collaboration with the industry organisations MTAS, SWIRA, SVEAT, the Swedish Welding Commission, Plastmaskingruppen and SPIF, took place from May 19 – 22, 2026, in Jönköping, Sweden, and featured some 500 exhibitors across six parallel trade fairs.
The co-located fairs included Elmia Welding & Joining Technology; Elmia Sheet Metal; Elmia Machine Tools; Elmia Polymer; Elmia 3D and Elmia Automation. Elmia 3D, which included both polymer and metal Additive Manufacturing, was organised by MTAS and SVEAT.
Daily programmes included seminars and presentations on the exhibition stages which reportedly attracted large audiences. Industrial transformation, technological shifts and the future of manufacturing capabilities were high on the agenda. One seminar was held by Per Öster, advisor to the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters, who spoke about the Armed Forces’ need for advanced manufacturing and why Swedish industry is key to that effort.
“We want to build a national, scalable production capacity preferably based on Swedish supply chains. The closer to Sweden’s core we can get, the safer we become,” explained Öster.
At Elmia 3D, sustainability was highlighted from another perspective – through material-efficient on-demand manufacturing in both small and large production series, but also through new business models lowering the threshold for investment in Additive Manufacturing. This year, the fair was reported to have offered a broader range than ever before.
“For the first time, we have created a marketplace for materials, machines, accessories and service providers alike. Elmia 3D is a complete meeting place for Additive Manufacturing in Sweden,” stated Mikael Ström, Fair Manager.
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Another theme from the Main Stage focused on security, competence and technological transition: what is required for Swedish industry to navigate successfully? Panel participants representing Sandvik Coromant, MTAS and the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters gave three different answers to what they believe will determine the future of Swedish industry over the next five years: process control, secure supply chains and competence.
Workshops were offered on subjects such as cybersecurity, machine safety and AI in manufacturing industry. Guided theme tours based on the fairs’ themes, such as Smart Industry, Sustainable Industry and Flexible Industry, provided visitors with new insights as selected exhibitors shared their experiences.
The next Elmia Production Fairs are scheduled for May 16 – 19, 2028.
