industrial machinery · Detroit
RAPID + TCT 2027Detroit exhibitor guide: booth costs, dates and deadlines
Printers, powders and parts in hand: RAPID + TCT 2027 booths in Detroit
- Event dates
- April 12–15, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- April 13–15, 2027
- Venue
- Huntington Place, Detroit
4.9 star rating from clients10,000+ booths builtSince 20153,000+ exhibitors served
Quick answers
RAPID + TCT 2027 in 30 seconds
The short version for RAPID + TCT exhibitors. Every figure here has its source further down the RAPID + TCT page.
- When is RAPID + TCT 2027?
- April 12–15, 2027, at Huntington Place, Detroit.
- When is the RAPID + TCT exhibit hall open?
- April 13–15, 2027.
- How big is RAPID + TCT?
- 10,000+ attendees, 470+ exhibitors (2026 edition).
- How much is a 10×20 booth at RAPID + TCT, all-in?
- $7,500 – $15,000 for a Purple rental, including design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle. RAPID + TCT bills space and show services separately.
Official RAPID + TCT 2027 links: RAPID + TCT 2027 floor planRAPID + TCT 2027 booth space
Everything about RAPID + TCT 2027 in one place
RAPID + TCT 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | RAPID + TCT 2027, SME's additive manufacturing and industrial 3D printing event |
|---|---|
| Event dates | April 12–15, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | April 13–15, 2027 source |
| Venue | Huntington Place 1 Washington Blvd, Detroit, MI 48226 |
| Organizer | SME |
| Size (2026) | 10,000+ attendees · 470+ exhibitors source |
| Who attends | Product design and development engineers (31% in 2026), owners and executives (21%), manufacturing engineers (19%) from automotive, aerospace, defense, medical and consumer goods |
| Nearest airport | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) About 20 miles from Huntington Place, per Purple's venue guide |
| Hotels | RAPID + TCT 2027 housing provider not confirmed yet |
| Official website | rapid3devent.com |
Official RAPID + TCT resources
RAPID + TCT 2027 calendar
RAPID + TCT 2027 show dates
Each 2027 RAPID + TCT show day, linked to the page that states it.
01 Purple at RAPID + TCT 2027
Printers, powders and parts in hand: RAPID + TCT 2027 booths in Detroit
We build RAPID + TCT booths where an engineer holds the printed bracket, sees the machine that made it and sits down to talk cost per part. Huntington Place is a union building with no warehouse of its own, so we route every crate through the show's contractor on a booked target.
- Exhibits Apr 13–15, 2027
- 10,000 attendees in 2026
- Huntington Place, Detroit
What makes RAPID + TCT different, and how we build for it
SME calls RAPID + TCT additive manufacturing's North American home for 36 years, and in 2027 it returns to Detroit, host of the 2025 edition, after its 2026 Boston debut.The floor is where printers, powders, resins, post-processing and software sit within one walk, and SME layers on the AeroDef Manufacturing Showcase with its Knowledge Bar, the Smart Manufacturing Experience Showcase, the America Makes Showcase with the Additives in Steel Challenge and the Advanced Manufacturing Start Up Showcase. In 2026 the Executive Perspectives panels, the third Pitchfest and a combined SME and TCT awards ceremony ran alongside the floor. SME's 2026 exhibitor survey puts the average time on the floor at nine hours, so visitors come ready to compare parts, not slogans.
The largest group at RAPID + TCT in 2026: parts they can turn over in their hands, labels naming material, process and orientation, and a specialist who can discuss tolerances on the spot.
A fifth of the 2026 audience: throughput, cost per part and service terms, discussed at a table where an equipment budget over $200,000 is a normal conversation.
Qualified materials and traceability for programs near the AeroDef Manufacturing Showcase, with a printed example from their own supply chain within reach.
Your team in Detroit
One project manager, two shops, the whole RAPID + TCT build
We build in our own production shop in Fishkill, NY, and our Las Vegas hub, ship to Huntington Place, and install with our own project manager on the floor and vetted local labor. Every RAPID + TCT build runs a predictable 30 to 45 days and gets a pre-show QA, with secure storage after.
When your team gets to Detroit, the booth is lit and stocked. You just show up.
Inside RAPID + TCT 2027
Rules that shape your booth
Huntington Place has no warehouse facilities, so every shipment goes to the show's general contractor, at its advance warehouse or on a dock target. We consolidate printers and booth crates onto one routed load with booth-numbered labels.
The venue requires labor from the local union holding jurisdiction: Teamsters and ironworkers for freight and rigging, carpenters for booth setup, electricians for power and stagehands for AV. We schedule each trade so printers land before walls rise.
Freeman Electric provides every electrical service in the building. We size circuits for each printer, curing oven and depowdering unit from your spec sheets and file the order early enough to avoid floor rates.
Items one person can carry or move on a small luggage cart may enter through the front of the hall, with parking in the Washington Garage or Roof Deck. We pack sample parts so your team can bring the most valuable pieces in by hand.
Programs worth planning for
A showcase for exhibitors serving aerospace, mobility and defense buyers, with an AeroDef Knowledge Bar where APEX Accelerators lead small-group sessions on doing business with the defense sector.
Floor space for early-stage companies bringing new additive hardware, software and applications to market, where attendees meet founders and see technologies at their earliest commercial stage.
Listed in the 2027 prospectus: a showcase with its own Knowledge Bar for companies in industrial IoT, AI and analytics, digital twins, CAD/CAM and MES software, robotics and manufacturing cybersecurity.
Technologies from America Makes members, plus the Additives in Steel Challenge, which highlights new approaches to additive manufacturing for the steel industry.
RAPID + TCT is the main North American floor for additive manufacturing, with 10,000 attendees in 2026; choose it over IMTS when your machine prints parts rather than cutting them and your buyers are design engineers. Compare every industrial machinery show we build for →
industrial machinery at RAPID + TCT
The industry behind RAPID + TCT, in pictures
02 Booths & pricing for RAPID + TCT 2027
Popular booth sizes at RAPID + TCT
We plan printer makers with several running systems on 20×30 or larger islands under hanging signs, and material, software and service bureau exhibitors on 10×20 or 20×20 spaces built around a part library. A 20×20 suits one industrial printer running beside a meeting table.
One industrial printer on a load-rated plinth, a lit library of a dozen labelled parts and a stand-up counter for drawings.
Above: Messilot, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
A three-bay sequence for a powder or resin supplier: raw material in sealed display jars, the build plate as printed, then finished parts after support removal and finishing, with a table at the far end.
Shown: a Purple inline booth for IMS
See 10×30 rental booths →
A running printer in one corner, a depowdering or curing station beside it, parts on two faces and an open meeting area under a hanging sign.
Shown: a Purple island exhibit for Gotec
See 20×20 rental booths →
Several production systems on engineered floor plates, a walk from CAD file to finished part, closed meeting rooms and lockable storage for powder and spare build plates.
Pictured: Bonomi, a Purple large-format exhibit
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's RAPID + TCT price
- A 3D rendering of your RAPID + TCT booth, revised until you approve it
- Structure, printed graphics, counters and storage, as specified for RAPID + TCT
- In-booth lighting and power distribution
- Install and dismantle at RAPID + TCT, led by our project manager on the floor
- Show-service orders and deadlines for RAPID + TCT, tracked on your behalf
Billed by RAPID + TCT and its contractor
- Exhibit space (paid to SME)
- Material handling (drayage) at Huntington Place, where the space rate does not include it
- Electrical service, internet and rigging at Huntington Place
- Booth cleaning, and union labor where Huntington Place requires it
Rates to plan with for RAPID + TCT:
- Drayage (Purple venue guide) About $155 per cwt, Purple's 2026 Huntington Place planning figure source
- Exhibitor self-build limit (Purple venue guide) Own full-time staff may build booths of 400 sq ft or less; larger booths use union crews source
- Wired internet (Purple venue guide) Shared 3 Mbps line $800 advance, $1,008 on site, 2026 listing source
We estimate each of these on your RAPID + TCT proposal, so the total is on paper before you sign.
Ranges shown are all-in 2026 rental prices for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle at RAPID + TCT; custom builds get their own quote. The booth cost calculator gives an exact number for your RAPID + TCT booth; the 2026 booth cost guide has the 2026 ranges.
Tell us your RAPID + TCT booth size and what the space has to do. We reply within one business day and send a rendering and a fixed proposal, usually within a week. No charge.
In Detroit, your team walks into a booth that is already lit and stocked. You just show up.
03 Built by Purple
Booths we designed, built and installed: a few to compare for RAPID + TCT
Case study · KLEEMANN
KLEEMANN at an industrial technology exhibition
A global elevator manufacturer’s interactive booth: real product showcases, digital simulations and a floor plan that guided visitors from the first step to the last.
KLEEMANN, an elevator manufacturer, combined real product, digital simulations and a guided route through its booth; a RAPID + TCT printer maker needs that same pairing of machine and explanation.
Read the KLEEMANN case study All case studies →“Purple Exhibits made us look good. The booth was one of the nicest displays in our section of the convention center and generated a lot of positive comments from both customers and industry peers. Their attention to detail, professionalism, and willingness to go above and beyond made a huge difference.”
Kimberly Owens, Brand Manager, Owens Products · more Purple client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for additive manufacturing, 3D printing and post-processing companies at RAPID + TCT
Four things we get right for RAPID + TCT exhibitors
1Build plate, then finished part
RAPID + TCT engineers want to see what the part looked like before support removal, heat treatment and machining. We mount a build plate as printed beside the finished component and a cutaway, so the post-processing route your Start Up Showcase rival skips is the story your booth tells.
2Plinths sized to the printer
Huntington Place routes every machine through Teamsters and ironworkers at the dock, so we take crate weights and leveling points from your spec sheets, build plinths that carry the printer at a viewing height, and set the machine before carpenters close the walls around it.
3Light layer lines, not logos
Sintered nylon, polished titanium and as-built Inconel read differently under show lighting. We aim narrow fixtures at the part library so layer lines and lattices show at arm's length, and keep tinted light off the metal so a defense buyer from the AeroDef aisle sees the true finish.
4A table for nine-hour visitors
SME's 2026 survey found attendees spend nine hours on the RAPID + TCT floor, and 79% influence equipment purchases. We give every booth over 10×20 a seated table out of the demo traffic, with a screen for the customer's own CAD file and storage for sample builds.
Concept rendering
Your proposal for RAPID + TCT includes a rendering like this one
The 3D view shows layout, graphics, lighting and product positions before we cut a panel, and we revise it until the RAPID + TCT booth is right. Above: a Purple concept for RPS.
Start my RAPID + TCT conceptFloor at a glance
Where you could be at RAPID + TCT 2027
SME's 2027 floor plan does not yet name the halls, so here is what each Huntington Place exhibit level offers, from the venue's capacity chart, and what it means for printers and part libraries.
Halls A and B, Level 2
The building's two largest halls: Hall A covers 208,845 square feet and Hall B 142,065, each with a 30-foot ceiling.
Our advice Plenty of clearance for a hanging sign over a large-format metal printer, so we design islands here to read from across the floor.
Hall E, Level 1
A 99,465-square-foot hall on the ground level with an 18-foot 8-inch ceiling, divisible into three sections.
Our advice If RAPID + TCT places booths here, we keep towers and signs low and light the parts from inside the booth.
Docks and hand carry
Teamsters unload everything brought to the docks; one person may hand carry what fits on a small luggage cart through the front of the hall.
Our advice Laptops and a case of sample parts can come by hand; printers, plinths and walls go to the docks on the contractor's target.
05 Huntington Place · Detroit
Logistics for RAPID + TCT 2027, handled
Huntington Place keeps no warehouse, so crates travel to the contractor SME appoints, landing first at its advance warehouse or arriving on a dock target, and Teamsters take them off the truck. The venue assigns freight and rigging to Teamsters and ironworkers, booth setup to carpenters and all power to Freeman Electric; Purple's venue guide budgets about $155 per hundredweight for material handling in 2026. SME has not named the 2027 contractor or move-in days, so those are not confirmed yet; we book targets the week the kit opens. Printers ship crated with tilt and shock indicators, plinths travel with the booth, and our project manager sets machines first, then walls, lighting and parts.
What Purple handles
- Load-rated plinths and leveling for each printer
- General contractor orders, targets and Teamster freight paperwork
- Freeman Electric power orders for printers and curing ovens
- Part library cases, labels and narrow-beam lighting
- Hanging sign rigging orders for islands
- Install and dismantle led by our project manager
RAPID + TCT timeline, counted back from move-in
For RAPID + TCT, we need design sign-off by late January 2027.
- Late January 2027Design sign-off with the printer list, weights, power and any compressed air or extraction fixed on the drawing.
- February 2027Production in our Fishkill, NY shop over 30 to 45 days; plinths built and graphics proofed against your printed parts.
- Mid-March 2027Booth, plinths and part cases ship to the general contractor's advance warehouse for Detroit.
- Days before April 13, 2027Move-in at Huntington Place: machines set and leveled first, then structure, lighting and the part library.
- April 13–15, 2027Exhibits open while the conference runs April 12–15; our project manager stays on call.
- After April 15, 2027Dismantle, printers recrated to your return plan and the booth sent to storage or your next show.
Purple's planning timeline for RAPID + TCT. Official move-in, freight target and order deadlines come from your exhibitor kit and assigned schedule; we confirm them against your booth when you book.
Printable RAPID + TCT budget & deadline sheetTravel to RAPID + TCT 2027
Getting to RAPID + TCT 2027: airport, hotels and parking
Fly in
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
About 20 miles from Huntington Place, per Purple's venue guide
Stay
RAPID + TCT 2027 housing provider not confirmed yet
Park
Hand-carry exhibitors park in the Washington Garage or Roof Deck, per the venue
Travel facts from huntingtonplacedetroit.com.
RAPID + TCT by the numbers
RAPID + TCT year by year
How RAPID + TCT 2027 compares with other industrial machinery shows
The industrial machinery shows closest to RAPID + TCT on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Each show name opens our industrial machinery exhibitor guide for that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMPPAMPP (Association for Materials Protection and Performance) | April 11–15, 2027 | Columbus, OH | 6,345 registrants attendees · 350+ exhibitors (2026) |
| ReMA ShowRecycled Materials Association (ReMA) | April 12–15, 2027 | Nashville, TN | – |
| RAPID + TCTSME | April 12–15, 2027 | Detroit, MI | 10,000+ attendees · 470+ exhibitors (2026) |
| Design-2-Part Show, TexasDesign-2-Part Shows (D2P) | April 14–15, 2027 | Irving, TX | 90% of 2026 Irving attendees decide on outsourcing |
| ProMatMHI | April 19–21, 2027 | Chicago, IL | 52,223 attendees · 1,160 exhibitors (2025) |
| Metalcasting CongressAmerican Foundry Society (AFS) | April 20–22, 2027 | Cleveland, OH | 2,200+ attendees · 230 exhibits (2023) |
| TAPPIConTAPPI | April 24–28, 2027 | Indianapolis, IN | 100+ exhibitors (2026) |
| Powder ShowInforma Markets | April 27–29, 2027 | Rosemont, IL | 2,500+ attendees (2025) |
| WQA Convention & ExpoWater Quality Association | April 28–30, 2027 | Phoenix, AZ | 2,500+ attendees, WQA 2027 prospectus |
| AISTechAssociation for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) | May 3–5, 2027 | Nashville, TN | 9,711 attendees · 652 exhibitors (2026) |
RAPID + TCT exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before RAPID + TCT
How much does a booth at RAPID + TCT 2027 cost?
For one running printer and a part library, plan a 20×20: $16,000 to $40,000 as a Purple rental or $50,000 to $120,000 custom. A 10×20 inline runs $7,500 to $15,000 rented. SME quotes 2027 space directly and the price is not confirmed yet; printer weight, plinths and rigging move our number most here.
What is the deadline to book a RAPID + TCT 2027 booth?
SME has published no space or exhibitor-kit deadline for 2027 yet, and its prospectus warns the show will sell out. On our calendar, approving the design by late January 2027 leaves a full production window in Fishkill, NY and puts the crates at the advance warehouse by mid-March.
Can we rent a booth for RAPID + TCT, and what does a rental include?
A RAPID + TCT rental from us is a reusable aluminum frame with your fabric graphics, LED lighting, a lockable storage closet and lit shelves for printed parts, plus freight, installation and dismantle on one fixed proposal. We can add a load-rated printer plinth to the rental so the machine sits at a proper viewing height.
Can our own staff set up the booth at Huntington Place?
Purple's venue guide notes that your own full-time staff may build booths of 400 square feet or less; larger exhibits go to union carpenters. Freight, forklifts and rigging stay with Teamsters and ironworkers in every case, and Freeman Electric does all power, so our project manager runs one schedule for every trade.
Can we run a printer live at RAPID + TCT?
Many exhibitors do. Power comes only through Freeman Electric at Huntington Place, so we order circuits sized to the printer, oven or depowdering station, and we plan for a slow build by showing finished stages beside it. Powders and resins travel with their safety data sheets and stay sealed in display jars.
What does drayage cost at Huntington Place?
Purple's venue guide budgets about $155 per hundredweight for material handling at Huntington Place in 2026; the 2027 RAPID + TCT tariff is not confirmed yet. A crated industrial printer often weighs more than the booth itself, so we price every crate on the proposal and ship to the advance warehouse to avoid late surcharges.
Can we reuse our RAPID + TCT booth at other shows?
We design modules that move on to the Motion + Power Technology Expo at Huntington Place in October 2027, The ASSEMBLY Show or IMTS 2028, with new graphics each time. Between shows we store the booth, refresh the part library and ship it to whichever event comes next.
Do you handle the general contractor orders for RAPID + TCT?
We do. Once SME publishes the 2027 exhibitor kit and names the contractor, we file material handling, electrical, rigging and cleaning orders, book your target slot at the Huntington Place docks and send you a copy of every form, so your engineers only load material and press start.
When is RAPID + TCT 2027?
The RAPID + TCT 2027 conference runs April 12–15, 2027 and the exhibits are open April 13–15, 2027 at Huntington Place in Detroit. The 2026 edition was held in Boston, the show's first time there.
When is the exhibit hall open at RAPID + TCT 2027?
SME lists the exhibits for April 13–15, 2027, one day after the conference opens on April 12. Daily exhibit hours for 2027 are not confirmed yet; we plan move-in so the booth is finished, lit and tested well before the first morning.
How many people attend RAPID + TCT?
SME counted 10,000 total attendees and more than 470 exhibitors at RAPID + TCT 2026 in Boston, with 260+ speakers and visitors from 52 countries. The 2025 edition in Detroit, April 8–10, drew over 500 exhibiting companies, per SME's recap.
Who organizes RAPID + TCT?
RAPID + TCT is produced by SME, the manufacturing association, which lists rapid.tct@sme.org as its event contact. The event pairs SME's RAPID conference with the TCT brand, and at their combined 2026 awards ceremony SME presented its AM Industry Achievement Award and TCT inducted a new member into its Hall of Fame.
How do we get a booth at RAPID + TCT 2027?
Request space through the Exhibit page on rapid3devent.com or email SME's RAPID + TCT sales team; the 2027 floor plan is already open online. Share your printer lineup with us early; we match it to a footprint and a showcase before the space contract is signed.
Ask these before you sign
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for RAPID + TCT:
- Are all fees on paper, including what the contractor at Huntington Place bills?
- Who builds the booth: your own shop or a subcontractor?
- Will your own project manager be at RAPID + TCT for install and dismantle?
- What exactly is in the rental, and what does RAPID + TCT bill?
- Where does the booth go after the show, and what does storage cost?
Common situations
Already own a booth? We refresh the graphics, repair what is worn, ship it, install it and store it between shows. You keep the structure you paid for and bring it to RAPID + TCT.
Exhibiting from outside the US? We handle the ground work for RAPID + TCT: freight to the advance warehouse, show-service orders, installation and storage, with one project manager replying to your emails in your time zone.
Short on time? A RAPID + TCT rental carrying your graphics can be ready in two to three weeks. You will know on the first call what is realistic for your RAPID + TCT date.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your RAPID + TCT booth
What happens next
- You get a reply within one business day, asking about your products, goals and footprint at RAPID + TCT.
- Usually within a week, you receive a concept rendering and a fixed RAPID + TCT proposal. Each RAPID + TCT fee listed upfront and in full, on paper.
- We build in 30–45 days, ship to the RAPID + TCT advance warehouse and install before the hall opens.