The French Dental Association (ADF) Congress runs from 24 to 28 November 2026 at the Palais des Congrès de Paris, Porte Maillot, with the exhibition open from 25 to 28 November. For a dental laboratory, the point of the event is not chairside care but three specific things: the digital and CAD/CAM scientific programme, the scanning and 3D printing hardware shown on the stands, and the software updates that directly affect the design workstation.
When and where is the ADF 2026 Congress, and who can attend?
The congress runs from Tuesday 24 to Saturday 28 November 2026. The exhibition covers 25 to 28 November, from 9am to 7pm and until 2pm on Saturday, across 12,830 square metres spread over four levels of the Palais des Congrès de Paris. According to Labora Dental, the 2026 edition expects 28,000 attendees and 300 international exhibitors, for close to a hundred scientific sessions and 400 speakers. Registration as a dental technician costs 319 euros according to the rate published on 29 October 2026; access to the exhibition alone remains free for professionals registered with a badge, according to the congress's official website.
What does the scientific programme cover on digital and CAD/CAM?
The scientific programme published on adfcongres.com gives direct space to digital topics. Session A9, Digital tools in occlusodontics, indications and limits, takes place on Tuesday 24 November at 4pm and discusses the real place of these tools against conventional occlusion recording. Session A6, on mastering BOPT preparation, also covers vertical zirconia preparations, a point that directly concerns the framework milled at the laboratory. Session B11, Guided and navigated surgery, how to choose, is held on Wednesday 25 November at 9am as a live televised demonstration on a patient, comparing two approaches to the surgical guide, an object many laboratories already mill or print.
What scanning and 3D printing equipment is shown on the show floor?
On the exhibition floor, SHINING 3D Dental is exclusively presenting, from 25 to 28 November on stand 3M20, the Ceramix-Nano printer, a compact device of around 2 kg that combines printing and post-polymerisation in a single unit, using capsule-based technology, paired with saremco print CROWNTEC material for single crowns, inlays, onlays and veneers. The brand is also showing its Aoralscan Elite intraoral scanner, which adds intraoral photogrammetry, and the Aoralscan ELF, a compact version. Other exhibitors announce full-workflow demonstrations, from the scanner to the laboratory via the software, under real conditions on their stands.
Dentev's own catalogue includes a laboratory scanner for the same type of use: two 1.3 MP cameras, a stated accuracy of 10 µm and a full arch scanned in 7 seconds, with STL, PLY or OBJ export to the design software. On a trade-show stand as on a product sheet, the detail worth checking stays the same: the export format and the stated compatibility with the software already installed at the laboratory, whether exocad, 3Shape or DentalCAD.
Why track exocad 3.3 Chemnitz even without a planned update?
Exocad DentalCAD 3.3 Chemnitz, released in October 2025 according to exoinstall, remains the reference version going into late 2026. According to the same specialist publisher, it adds more than 90 new features and over 80 improvements: a reorganised implant module that gathers all positions in one window with search by manufacturer article number, for an estimated gain of 5 to 8 minutes per multi-implant case; a Split Denture workflow that designs the bar and the superstructure of an All-on-X case at the same time before splitting them automatically on export; and AI features, such as Multi-Unit Design, AI Bite Splint or TruSmile rendering, which require an active connection to the my.exocad cloud.
A laboratory planning to migrate to 3.3 Chemnitz should therefore plan for the network access this cloud requires, in addition to training time: without it, the AI features do not activate, even though the rest of the software runs normally offline. The reorganised implant module, by contrast, works offline and directly concerns laboratories that already design custom bars and abutments.
How should a laboratory prepare its visit to the ADF 2026 Congress?
Three simple checks keep a visit from turning into a quick walk past the stands. First, identify in the scientific programme the digital sessions useful to the laboratory's workflow, digital occlusion, surgical guides, zirconia preparations, rather than the general clinical sessions aimed mainly at chairside practitioners. Second, at every scanner or milling machine stand, ask for the actual export format and the exact list of compatible design software, not just the commercial name of the workflow announced by the exhibitor. Finally, for a newly presented printer or material, check the CE marking and the notified body number before placing any order: a trade-show presentation never replaces the manufacturer's instructions or technical data sheet.
- Congress dates: 24 to 28 November 2026 (ADF, official website, adfcongres.com)
- Exhibition dates: 25 to 28 November 2026, 9am to 7pm, 2pm on Saturday (adfcongres.com)
- Venue: Palais des Congrès de Paris, Porte Maillot (adfcongres.com)
- Expected attendees and exhibitors: 28,000 attendees, 300 international exhibitors (Labora Dental, 29/10/2026)
- Exhibition floor area: 12,830 m² across 4 levels (Labora Dental, 29/10/2026)
- Dental technician registration fee: 319 euros (Labora Dental, 29/10/2026)
- Current exocad version: 3.3 Chemnitz, released October 2025, over 90 new features (exoinstall.com)
- SHINING 3D Dental stand: number 3M20, 25 to 28 November 2026 (Dentaire365)
Sources
ADF Congress, official website, adfcongres.com, congress and scientific programme pages, accessed 3 November 2026.
Labora Dental, « Congrès ADF 2026: dates, programme et inscriptions », laboradental.fr, updated 29 October 2026.
exoinstall, « What's new in Exocad 3.3 Chemnitz, full feature review (2026) », exoinstall.com.
Dentaire365, « ADF 2026: SHINING 3D Dental et Ceramix-Nano au stand 3M20 », dentaire365.fr.
