Guides / Choosing a Supplier
Composites Trade Shows 2027: Where Buyers of Machined Carbon Fiber Parts Meet Shops
Carbon Fiber Machining editorial team · October 26, 2026
Key points
- Three shows carry most of the carbon fiber supply chain in 2027: JEC World in Paris (2 to 4 March), SAMPE America in Salt Lake City (17 to 20 May) and CAMX in Anaheim (19 to 21 October for the exhibition).
- All dates here come from the organizer pages as of October 2026. Composites Europe, SAMPE Europe 2027 and JEC World 2028 had no confirmed date on the organizer pages we could open.
- A buyer of machined parts gets the most from a show by arriving with drawings, a quantity and a tolerance, not with a general shopping list.
- A show is a place to meet a shop, not to compare quotes. Quotes are easier to compare after the show, on one drawing sent to every shop.
Three composites shows cover most of the carbon fiber supply chain in 2027. JEC World runs 2 to 4 March in Paris, SAMPE America runs 17 to 20 May in Salt Lake City and CAMX runs in Anaheim in October, with the exhibition on 19 to 21 October. All three are places where a buyer of machined carbon fiber parts can meet cutting shops, plate and tube makers and tooling suppliers in a few days.
The table below lists each show with the date as the organizer gives it. Where an organizer had not published a date when we checked, the table says so instead of guessing. The rest of the guide covers what each show is good for if you buy cut or drilled carbon parts, and how to prepare so the visit leads to a quote.
The 2027 calendar at a glance
| Show | Dates | City and venue | What the organizer says |
|---|---|---|---|
| JEC World 2027 | 2 to 4 March 2027 | Paris Nord Villepinte, France | Visitor hours 9am to 6pm on 2 and 3 March, 9am to 5pm on 4 March |
| SAMPE America 2027 | 17 to 20 May 2027 | Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, Utah | Dates as shown on the organizer’s home page |
| CAMX 2027 | Conference 18 to 21 October 2027, exhibition 19 to 21 October 2027 | Anaheim Convention Center, 200 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, California | Conference dates are longer than the exhibition dates |
| SAMPE Europe | 2027 edition not shown | The organizer lists the 2026 conference in Lecce, Italy, 30 September to 1 October 2026 | Not confirmed by the organizer as of October 2026 |
| Composites Europe | Not shown | The organizer’s address redirected to a Reed Exhibitions home page with no composites event | Not confirmed by the organizer as of October 2026 |
| JEC World 2028 | Not shown | The 2027 organizer page names no 2028 date | Not confirmed by the organizer as of October 2026 |
Dates per organizer pages read in October 2026. Organizers move dates and venues, so confirm on the organizer’s page before you book travel.
CAMX 2026 took place in Atlanta, Georgia, from 21 to 24 September 2026, according to the organizer, so the Anaheim edition in October 2027 is the next one. We did not check organizer pages for drone, bicycle or robotics shows. Those are separate lists, and a date we have not read on an organizer page does not belong in this table.
JEC World, Paris: the widest view of the supply chain
JEC World is the show to pick if you want to see the whole chain in one place: fiber makers, fabric and prepreg suppliers, plate and tube makers, tooling and machine builders and shops. The organizer’s own figures for the 2026 edition are more than 45,000 visits, 1,400 exhibitors and 94 countries represented, on 78,000 square meters of exhibition space.
For a buyer of machined parts, that size cuts two ways. You can meet many shops and material suppliers in two days. You can also lose half a day walking between halls. Plan by questions, not by stand list:
- Which plate or tube grade fits my part, and who stocks it in the size I need?
- Which shops cut this material every day, and what bed size and thickness range do they run?
- Which tool makers supply diamond-coated or PCD cutters, and what do shops say about tool life?
JEC World is held in France, so it is a natural place to meet shops and plate suppliers that serve European assembly lines. If your parts go to one, a short visit to a shop near it can settle questions that email does not.
SAMPE America, Salt Lake City: engineers and materials
SAMPE America runs 17 to 20 May 2027 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. SAMPE is a materials and process engineering society, and its show is a fit for a design engineer who wants to talk process: how a shop controls delamination, what it does about ply orientation at a hole, how it inspects a part.
Use it to ask process questions, then use the answers to write a better drawing note. Our design guidelines list hole sizes, edge distances and radii that keep parts at normal cost, and the same numbers make a good starting point for a conversation at a stand.
CAMX, Anaheim: the American shop floor
CAMX is the composites show for the United States. The organizer’s site describes nearly 600 exhibiting companies and 800+ brands, without saying which edition that count refers to, so treat it as an order of magnitude. The 2027 edition is in Anaheim, California, with the conference from 18 to 21 October and the exhibition from 19 to 21 October 2027.
If your assembly line or end customers are in North America, CAMX is where you meet shops that are close to them.
How to use a show if you buy machined carbon parts
A show is a poor place to compare prices and a good place to compare people. A stand will not quote a firm price on a napkin. It can tell you whether a shop routes plate or only trims molded parts, what it does about backing on drilled holes and how it handles dust. Those answers decide whether the shop belongs on your list.
- Pick two or three parts. One flat plate part, one tube part if you have it and one that has caused trouble. Real parts get real answers.
- Bring the facts that decide feasibility. Plate grade and thickness, quantity per year, the tolerances that matter, the cosmetic face and the finish on edges.
- Ask for a sample of the same material. Run a thumb along the edge, look at the back of a drilled hole under a light and check a countersink. Our guide to drilling carbon fiber without delamination lists what to look for at the exit side of a hole.
- Write down who said what. Note the person, the machine class and the thickness range they quoted verbally.
- Do not leave drawings behind. Send them after the show, to every shop on the same terms, ideally under an NDA if the part is yours.
The last point is the one that makes quotes comparable. Quotes on different days, from different people, on slightly different notes are hard to compare. One drawing and one note sent to every shop is easy to compare. For how to build that drawing, see our buyer’s guide to carbon fiber machining and the cost breakdown in what drives carbon fiber CNC cutting cost.
Worked example (hypothetical)
A robotics team buys 150 gripper plates a year from 3 mm twill plate. Its first batch came from a general machine shop and showed fuzzy edges. The team has two days at a European show and one at an American show later in the year.
At the first show it brings two plates, a drawing with the tolerances that matter marked in red and a one-line statement of annual volume. It spends the first day walking the plate and tube suppliers, asking who stocks 3 mm twill in the sheet size it needs. On the second day it speaks to six shops with the plates in hand. It crosses off two that only work on molded parts, notes three that routinely cut flat plate and keeps one that mentions its backing method for holes without being asked.
After the show the team sends one drawing and one note to the three that fit. The quotes come back on the same basis, and the team compares price, lead time and sample quality. It never needed to leave a drawing on a stand.
When a show is not worth the trip
Many buyers do not need a stand visit. If your part is a flat profile with ordinary holes, the work is routine and a DXF plus a PDF is enough to get a firm quote. A trip pays off in three cases: you need a long-term shop for repeat volume, your part has features that are hard to judge from a quote (tight fits, thick laminate, 3D trimming) or you are choosing between a European and an American source.
If you already have a drawing, you can send your RFQ and we match it with up to three shops that cut carbon every day, then you can decide whether a visit is needed. You can read how the work is done on our sheet and plate cutting page first.
What we could not confirm
- Composites Europe: the organizer’s address redirected to a Reed Exhibitions home page in October 2026, and that page listed other events. We do not give a date for it.
- SAMPE Europe 2027: the organizer’s page shows the 2026 conference in Lecce, Italy, and no 2027 edition.
- JEC World 2028: the organizer’s page names no 2028 date. If you read this after 2027, check the organizer before you plan.
Frequently asked questions
Which composites trade show is best for buying machined carbon fiber parts?
JEC World in Paris is the largest by exhibitor count, and its organizer reports about 1,400 exhibitors for the 2026 edition. CAMX and SAMPE America draw more North American shops and material suppliers. Pick the show nearest to where you want the parts made, because shipping and site visits are easier.
When is JEC World 2027?
The organizer gives 2 to 4 March 2027 at Paris Nord Villepinte in France. Visitor hours listed are 9am to 6pm on 2 and 3 March and 9am to 5pm on 4 March. As of October 2026 the organizer page showed no date for a 2028 edition, so check it before you plan.
Do I need to go to a trade show to source machined carbon fiber parts?
No. Most machined carbon parts are bought from a drawing and a file, with no visit. A show helps when you buy in volume, need a long-term shop or want to see samples of edge quality and hole finish before you commit.
What should I bring to a composites trade show as a parts buyer?
Bring a drawing for one or two real parts, the quantity per year, the plate or tube grade, the tolerances that matter and the cosmetic side. Shop staff can then say yes or no in a few minutes. Carry a sample part if you have one, since people judge edge finish by touch.
Need a quote for a carbon part?
Send the DXF or STEP file. We match you with up to 3 shops that cut carbon fiber every day and reply within 24 business hours.
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