From October 21 to 24, 2025, the industry will meet for the 17th Blechexpo and the 10th Schweisstec in Stuttgart. Careers, category winners, AI, congress – trade fair organizers and exhibitors are once again creating a top-class trade fair with a high level of internationality that attracts worldwide attention.
For four days from October 21 to 24, 2025, everything will revolve around the present and future of sheet metal processing in nine full halls at the Stuttgart trade fair grounds. The topics range from thermal and mechanical sheet metal working and processing, including system peripherals with controls and software, to handling and feeding solutions and quality assurance. Blechexpo/Schweisstec is a highly recognized trade event where suppliers and users can find out about the latest developments and exchange ideas in direct discussions with experts.
The hall structure ensures a clear overview and an efficient visit to the trade fair: Halls 1, 3, 5 and 7 house sheet metal, tube and profile processing. Halls 4 and 6 focus on punching technologies. Hall 9 is home to cutting, joining and connection technologies. Hall 8 focuses on press and forming technologies. And finally, Hall 10 deals with steel, metal service and surface technology. The trade fair duo combines two central technologies of production engineering; with the clear theme structure, all trade fair visitors can discover new systems and solutions across the entire value chain in one place.
“Best Award 2025” showcases outstanding technical solutions
The “Best Award”, organized by the trade magazine “Maschinenmarkt”, is entering a new round in the five competition categories of sheet metal, tube and profile processing, pressing and forming technologies, punching technologies, cutting, joining and bonding technologies as well as steel, metal service and surface technology. This competition has become a traditional part of the Blechexpo/Schweisstec supporting program. Entry is free of charge. A selected jury of experts will choose the winners in each category at the end of the submission period. At the end of the first day of the trade fair on October 21, 2025 at 4 p.m., the lucky winners will receive their award in a ceremony.
“Innovation is the key to successfully mastering the current changes in the industrial environment,” says jury member Robin Kurth, Group Leader Forming Machines and Project Manager at Fraunhofer IWU. “The diversity of innovative solutions in the field of metalworking is enormous. Finding and implementing the right innovative solution for an individual problem is often a challenge. The “Best Award 2025″ makes outstanding innovations from various areas of sheet metal processing and welding technology visible to interested companies. It promotes the exchange and transfer of these innovations into practical applications,” says Robin Kurth. In addition to him, the expert jury includes Annedore Bose-Munde, specialist editor for business and technology, Heinz Wöllmer, technology planner at Siemens Gerätewerk Amberg, Erich Utz, also from Siemens Gerätewerk in Amberg, and Frauke Finus, managing editor of “Blechnet” and editor of “MM Maschinenmarkt”.
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Exciting future prospects on Career Friday
Another of the trade fair highlights at Blechexpo/Schweisstec 2025 will be the “Career Friday”, which the trade fair organizer is launching together with exhibitors under the motto “Shape your dreams, metal your future”. “With this campaign, we want to actively support giving young people an insight into everyday working life and making concrete contacts with companies,” emphasizes Bettina Schall, Managing Director of the trade fair company P. E. Schall. “Blechexpo/Schweisstec is a highly recognized business platform where the industry players present themselves. This is a unique opportunity for pupils, students, teachers, university representatives and career starters to obtain first-hand information about specific job profiles and career opportunities. All interested parties are therefore cordially invited to discover the diverse technologies and future opportunities in the sheet metal processing industry.”
On Friday, October 24, 2025, exhibitors in all exhibition halls will provide information and insights at their stands; on guided tours at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., all participants can make direct contact with industry experts, ask individual questions, experience technology and explore possible career paths.
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Attractive and practice-oriented supporting program on all days of the trade fair
Blechexpo/Schweisstec brings together the best players in sheet metal processing and joining technology from all over the world. Around 45 percent of the exhibitors come from abroad. Georg Knauer, Project Manager at trade fair organizer P. E. Schall, expects nine full exhibition halls and a lively exchange of ideas. Some seven months before the trade fair, he is already referring to the top-class supporting program on all days of the fair.
In addition to the Best Award ceremony on the first day of the trade fair, the career campaign on Friday and the daily lecture forum, the “Best Congress” with steel communication (www.stahl-kommunikation.de) will also be a magnet for trade visitors. On the second day of the trade fair, 22 October 2025, it will bring together internationally recognized experts to discuss the topic of “Artificial intelligence and the future of sheet metal processing/joining technology” in a practical way. Participants will learn about future-oriented applications of AI technologies and their potential in manufacturing, exchange best practices and experience practice-oriented solutions for the challenges facing the industry.
