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The Largest Manufacturing Show in the Western Hemisphere

IMTS 2026 will be held September 14-19, 2026 at McCormick Place, Chicago. As the largest trade show in the Western Hemisphere, IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show, draws the innovators, sellers, and drivers of manufacturing technology together to connect, be inspired, and find new solutions.

The Rundown

6 Days. Endless Connections. Your IMTS.

From exhibitors showcasing the latest solutions to cutting-edge conferences, there's something for everyone. Utilize your Show Planner for personalized recommendations to make your show experience exactly what you need.

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Experiences Around the Show

Exhibitors

Explore innovations in machining, additive, automation, digital solutions, quality and more.

IMTS Emerging Technology Center

See a live, end-to-end manufacturing system operating continuously on the show floor.

IMTS Main Stage

Your front-row seat to the people shaping the industry.

IMTS+ Hubs (East & South)

Have a particular manufacturing challenge? Have a seat and discover solutions.

Sessions You Can't Miss

From Code to Concrete: How Cloud Robotics and Physical AI Are Rewriting Industrial Automation

 

 

 

Industrial automation is shifting from rigid, project-based systems to flexible, software-driven platforms powered by cloud robotics and Physical AI. In this session, Etienne Lacroix explores how these technologies enable faster deployment, multi-site standardization, and continuously improving automation. Attendees will gain practical insights on identifying high-impact use cases and scaling modern automation across factories.

 
 
 

How to Go From Button Pusher to Problem Solver

Stop just running the program and start owning the job. Learn the skills that make you the guy the shop can't run without.

Zero-Point Plates- Optimizing your shop floor

Taking to the steps to move to Zero-Point Clamp and plates can be a BIG step but improvements in efficiencies can be a big gain in productivity and reduction in set up times.

Rethinking Toolpath Creation: A Visual Approach to CNC Programming

For decades, CAM software has relied on the same workflow: choose a strategy, adjust pages of parameters, regenerate, and repeat. It’s familiar—but not always efficient. Programmers often spend more time translating intent into settings and iterating through regeneration cycles than actually refining the toolpath.

This session explores a more visual, automation-first approach to toolpath creation. We’ll look at how intelligent defaults, direct on-screen toolpath editing, color-coded workflow stages, and seamless 3- to 5-axis flexibility can reduce programming time and eliminate unnecessary iteration. Through live demonstrations on real-world parts, we’ll highlight where traditional parameter-driven workflows create friction—and how a more interactive model can streamline programming and accelerate production.

Designed for CNC programmers, manufacturing engineers, and shop managers, this discussion examines what the evolution of CAM workflow means for efficiency, training, and getting parts out the door faster.

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Experiences Around the Show

Exhibitors

Explore innovations in machining, additive, automation, digital solutions, quality and more.

IMTS Emerging Technology Center

See a live, end-to-end manufacturing system operating continuously on the show floor.

IMTS Main Stage

Your front-row seat to the people shaping the industry.

IMTS+ Hubs (East & South)

Have a particular manufacturing challenge? Have a seat and discover solutions.

Sessions You Can't Miss

From Design to Part Delivery, Unlocking 2D/3D MBD for OEMs & Manufacturers

A practical workshop for OEMs and suppliers to work from one shared digital source of truth.

OEMs and suppliers are tightly connected, but quality processes often aren’t. OEMs need visibility, compliance, and consistency across the supply chain. Suppliers need clear requirements, fewer change surprises, and faster reporting. When design intent gets “translated” through emails, spreadsheets, and PDFs, the result is rework, delays, and audit risk.

In this workshop, we’ll show how OEMs and suppliers can align on a shared digital quality language using 2D drawings + 3D Model-Based Definition (MBD), so everyone is working from the same requirements, the same characteristics, and the same quality intent.

Case Study:?Putting the Connected in Connected Worker

Connected worker programs are evolving from simple digital tools into fully integrated ecosystems that enhance production, safety, and workforce capability. As manufacturers face growing complexity and a changing labor market, connected technologies are becoming essential for attracting new talent, supporting real-time problem solving, and enabling on-the-job upskilling. This session explores how modern devices, data flows, and 5G-enabled environments are transforming frontline work, giving employees the information, guidance, and control they need to operate more efficiently and safely while preparing the workforce for increasingly advanced machinery and automated systems.

• How can connected worker initiatives improve production and safety?

• How do connected technologies help attract and retain new talent?

• What is the impact of digital devices on real-time problem-solving and upskilling on the job?

• How can the utilization of 5G-enabled device ecosystems enable a shift from basic machine operations to advanced, integrated machinery control?

From Datums to Data: Linking GD&T Characteristics to Manufacturing Process Root Causes and Automating Process Control Solutions

This session shows how datums, tolerance zones, and measurement results become actionable digital information that drives adaptive machining, and smart manufacturing workflows. Attendees will learn how geometric clarity improves traceability, reduces scrap, and increases process stability in modern automated machining environments.

Closing Remarks

A closing recap of the day's biggest themes and insights, spotlighting the opportunities ahead for investors and innovators across the manufacturing ecosystem.

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Explore Recommended Sessions Through Your Show Planner

Browse a List of Exhibitors Tailored to Your Interests

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Experiences Around the Show

Exhibitors

Explore innovations in machining, additive, automation, digital solutions, quality and more.

IMTS Emerging Technology Center

See a live, end-to-end manufacturing system operating continuously on the show floor.

IMTS Main Stage

Your front-row seat to the people shaping the industry.

IMTS+ Hubs (East & South)

Have a particular manufacturing challenge? Have a seat and discover solutions.

Miles for Manufacturing 5K

Lace up and run to fund STEM education.

Sessions You Can't Miss

Keynote Presentation

Manufacturing is built on innovation, determination, and the people who have the courage to lead, adapt, and grow throughout their careers. In this inspiring keynote, attendees will hear from a respected industry leader who will share personal insights on leadership, resilience, and navigating a meaningful career in manufacturing.

Through reflections on their own journey, the keynote will explore the moments, decisions, and relationships that shaped their path. This session will focus on the human side of leadership: embracing challenges, staying curious, and finding confidence in one’s voice and perspective.

Attendees will leave feeling energized and encouraged to continue growing as leaders while making their own mark on the manufacturing industry.

Topics Included:

  • Personal leadership journeys and defining career moments
  • Building confidence and authenticity as a leader
  • Lessons learned from challenges and opportunities along the way
  • Finding purpose and impact throughout a manufacturing career

Making Chips: The IMTS Investment Playbook - The Modern Machine Shop Vibe - AI/Automation

Every shop has one person who knows everything — and every shop is one retirement away from losing it. MakingChips sits down with the teams behind ProShop ERP and Ground Control to cut through AI hype: capturing tribal knowledge, automating quality paperwork, and meeting CMMC and ITAR demands without adding headcount.

Panel – Leading the Next Era of Manufacturing Technology

Women across the manufacturing ecosystem are leading transformation - from shop floors and engineering labs to executive leadership roles. This dynamic panel will feature leaders from across the manufacturing technology landscape who are driving innovation, building high-performing teams, and shaping the industry's future.

Panelists will share their leadership journeys, insights on navigating the industry, and strategies for building inclusive workplaces where talent can thrive.

Panel Topics

  • Leading through technological transformation
  • Navigating leadership in traditionally male-dominated spaces
  • Building the next generation of manufacturing talent
  • Lessons learned from career growth in manufacturing technology

So You’re Starting Your Own Shop… Now What?

The stuff nobody warns you about when you hang your own shingle, from the first machine to the first payroll.

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Explore Recommended Sessions Through Your Show Planner

Browse a List of Exhibitors Tailored to Your Interests

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Experiences Around the Show

Exhibitors

Explore innovations in machining, additive, automation, digital solutions, quality and more.

IMTS Emerging Technology Center

See a live, end-to-end manufacturing system operating continuously on the show floor.

IMTS Main Stage

Your front-row seat to the people shaping the industry.

IMTS+ Hubs (East & South)

Have a particular manufacturing challenge? Have a seat and discover solutions.

Sessions You Can't Miss

The Impractical Machinists: Special IMTS Episode

A live, unfiltered IMTS episode from the crew who proves machining doesn't always have to make sense.

AI in Machine Shops: Is It Here or Is It a Buzzword?

Cutting through the hype to find where AI actually belongs on the shop floor, and where it's just noise.

Rivian: Advancing Manufacturing at The Innovative EV Company

An interview with Francesco DeMelis,  Rivian Senior Director of Digital Manufacturing Engineering and Automation, about the processes and approaches deployed in the manufacturing operations of the innovative electric vehicle producer.

Designing Connectivity Upfront: The Foundation for Modular, Lights-Out Manufacturing

As machinery engineers push toward lights-out production, predictive maintenance and AI-driven optimization, one design choice is becoming mission-critical: when and how connectivity is engineered into the machine. 

For decades, connectivity — the delivery of power, signal and data between subsystems — has been treated as a late-stage integration task. Core mechanical and process modules were prioritized first, with cables and interfaces addressed after the fact. Today, that approach is no longer sustainable. Shrinking footprints, rising performance expectations, predictive maintenance requirements and remote service demands mean that connectivity must be embedded at the earliest stages of machine design. 

This session will explore why thinking about connectivity upfront fundamentally changes what a machine can do. 

Moving away from hardwired point-to-point systems toward connectorized, modular architectures reduces build and commissioning time, simplifies expansion and improves overall serviceability. Hybrid connectors that combine power, signal and data into a single, compact interface enable faster assembly, error-proof installation and easier subsystem replacement. This modularity reduces mean time to repair and minimizes both planned and unplanned downtime — a critical advantage in high-value production environments. 

Early-stage connectivity design also unlocks lights-out operation. Reliable, diagnostic-rich connectors enable continuous data acquisition, automated control loops and real-time optimization. Machines can monitor flow rates, temperatures, and other critical parameters without direct human intervention — feeding predictive analytics platforms that anticipate drift, prioritize maintenance and protect yield. Every connection becomes a data pathway, supporting traceability, remote diagnostics and intelligent decision-making. 

Beyond uptime and performance, connectivity-driven architectures improve sustainability and safety. Precision monitoring allows dynamic resource management and reduced waste, while automated, sensor-enabled systems limit human exposure to hazardous tasks. In a lights-out environment, humans remain essential — but are deployed strategically for complex, high-value interventions rather than routine oversight. 

As machines become more compact and complex, connector size, reliability, error-proofing and lifecycle durability directly impact performance and maintainability. Designing connectivity early enables scalable, flexible platforms that adapt to new processes, new regulations and new production demands — without costly redesign. 

Session takeaways: 

  • Why designing connectivity at the earliest stages of machine development is critical to performance, scalability and uptime. 
  • The advantages of connectorization over hardwiring in modular machine architectures. 
  • How connectivity enables lights-out manufacturing through real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance. 
  • How compact, error-proof connector design supports optimization, safety and future-ready machinery. 

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Explore Recommended Sessions Through Your Show Planner

Browse a List of Exhibitors Tailored to Your Interests

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Experiences Around the Show

Exhibitors

Explore innovations in machining, additive, automation, digital solutions, quality and more.

IMTS Emerging Technology Center

See a live, end-to-end manufacturing system operating continuously on the show floor.

IMTS Main Stage

Your front-row seat to the people shaping the industry.

IMTS+ Hubs (East & South)

Have a particular manufacturing challenge? Have a seat and discover solutions.

Sessions You Can't Miss

Achieve the Impossible: Vertically Integrating the Next Era of Supersonic Flight & Industrial Power

Join Boom Supersonic’s Chief Scientist Nick Sheryka and Head of Manufacturing Nate Hepler for a dynamic 30-minute fireside chat moderated by AMT VP - Technology, Ryan Kelly. Discover how Boom is defying traditional aerospace timelines by bringing full-lifecycle manufacturing under one roof in Denver—vertically integrating advanced turbomachinery to power both Mach 1.7 commercial flight and next-generation energy infrastructure for AI data centers.

IMTS Unwind

Close out the day with IMTS Unwind on the IMTS+ Main Stage! Each episode features lively interviews with industry experts, main-stage keynote speakers, manufacturers, and social media influencers. Get the scoop on must-see events for the next day and key insights to make the most of your IMTS.

IMTS Today

Kickstart your day with the IMTS Morning Show on the IMTS+ Main Stage! Each episode features lively interviews with industry experts, main-stage keynote speakers, manufacturers, and social media influencers. Get the scoop on must-see events and key insights to make the most of your day at IMTS.

From the Show Floor to the Factory Floor

IMTS showcases what is possible across automation, artificial intelligence, robotics, digital manufacturing, and other advanced technologies—but turning inspiration into action can be challenging. Sarah Hartwick of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and Dan Hofmann of the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center will discuss how manufacturers can evaluate emerging opportunities, prepare their workforce, access available resources, and make informed investments. The conversation will highlight the strength of Illinois’ manufacturing ecosystem and how industry, government, education, and workforce partners can help companies move from curiosity to implementation.

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Explore Recommended Sessions Through Your Show Planner

Browse a List of Exhibitors Tailored to Your Interests

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Experiences Around the Show

Exhibitors

Explore innovations in machining, additive, automation, digital solutions, quality and more.

IMTS Emerging Technology Center

See a live, end-to-end manufacturing system operating continuously on the show floor.

IMTS Main Stage

Your front-row seat to the people shaping the industry.

IMTS+ Hubs (East & South)

Have a particular manufacturing challenge? Have a seat and discover solutions.

Sessions You Can't Miss

IMTS Unwind

Close out the day with IMTS Unwind on the IMTS+ Main Stage! Each episode features lively interviews with industry experts, main-stage keynote speakers, manufacturers, and social media influencers. Get the scoop on must-see events for the next day and key insights to make the most of your IMTS.

IMTS Today

Kickstart your day with the IMTS Morning Show on the IMTS+ Main Stage! Each episode features lively interviews with industry experts, main-stage keynote speakers, manufacturers, and social media influencers. Get the scoop on must-see events and key insights to make the most of your day at IMTS.

Featured Main Stage Session

Discover the ideas and innovations transforming manufacturing. This Main Stage session will feature industry experts sharing insights on emerging technologies, workforce trends, and the future of the industry.

Featured Main Stage Session

Discover the ideas and innovations transforming manufacturing. This Main Stage session will feature industry experts sharing insights on emerging technologies, workforce trends, and the future of the industry.

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Explore Recommended Sessions Through Your Show Planner

Browse a List of Exhibitors Tailored to Your Interests

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