BUILD YOUR AGENDA

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

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

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

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

Get an in-depth understanding how automation systems can create the smart factory by leveraging ASRS for kit buffering, just-in-time sequencing, and visualization. While automation has typically been sought for production in work cells, now, automating the supply of parts, tools, or dies can help create a smart environment while contributing to the bottom line.

As manufacturers face increasing pressure to improve productivity, responsiveness, and lower production costs, the smart factory is no longer a concept—it’s a competitive necessity. Automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) play a critical role in enabling this transformation by connecting material flows, data, and automation into a single, intelligent intralogsitics backbone.

This session explores how modern ASRS solutions move beyond traditional storage to become an active real time component of the manufacturing process. By tightly integrating ASRS with production lines, warehouse management systems (WMS), and enterprise platforms, manufacturers can ensure just-in-time and just-in-sequence material delivery, reduce work-in-process inventory, and eliminate manual handling errors. Real time visualization software enables updates and tracking of these processes. The result is improved throughput, higher equipment utilization, and greater process reliability across the entire plant.

Attendees will gain insight into how ASRS supports smart factory initiatives such as real time visibility data-driven decision making. Hear about real-world use cases and see how manufacturers are leveraging automation to adapt to fluctuating demand and how to scale operations without disrupting production. This session will also address key considerations, including system modularity, software requirements, and future-proofing for evolving manufacturing requirements.

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.

This session explores the key benefits of automated grinding—such as tighter tolerances, reduced cycle times, and increased safety—while also addressing common challenges including high investment costs, integration complexity, and process variability. Drawing on extensive grinding and automation expertise, we’ll share practical best practices for process development, measurement, and risk reduction. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to successfully implement automation to achieve reliable, repeatable, and efficient grinding performance.

The Accountability Problem

An AI-informed scheduling adjustment triggers a tool changeover that contributes to a quality escape. The defect reaches a customer. Who signs the CAPA—the algorithm, the operator who accepted the recommendation, or the plant manager who approved the system?

Until manufacturers can answer that question without hesitation, AI adoption on the factory floor will remain slowed by legitimate governance and compliance concerns.

Bounded AI: A Governance-First Design Approach

This session addresses the accountability challenge directly by introducing bounded AI—a design approach in which AI systems operate within explicitly defined authority, preserve full traceability, surface uncertainty, and support safe rollback. Rather than granting algorithms unchecked autonomy, bounded AI integrates decision support into existing operational workflows while maintaining clear lines of responsibility.

The discussion is grounded in real manufacturing environments: mixed-vintage equipment, established PLC logic, MES systems, regulated quality processes, and audit requirements. Through practical factory-floor scenarios, attendees will see how bounded AI integrates with existing governance structures such as change control, CAPA workflows, and audit trails—without disrupting throughput or safety.

What Attendees Will See

Specifically, the session demonstrates how to:

Define documented decision boundaries for AI recommendations
Surface system confidence levels to support informed operator judgment
Maintain continuous traceability of AI-influenced decisions
Implement structured rollback mechanisms to protect production stability
Extend existing change control processes to AI-driven adjustments

Operational Impact

When accountability is engineered intentionally, manufacturers reduce resistance to AI adoption, accelerate decision cycles, improve schedule responsiveness, and strengthen audit readiness. Plants can introduce AI-assisted scheduling, maintenance prioritization, and process optimization within 1–3 years—without controller replacement or forklift system upgrades.

Workforce Stability

Equally important, this session addresses workforce stability. AI systems that override human authority create distrust and compliance risk. AI systems that preserve operator judgment, document decision rationale, and clarify accountability elevate human roles instead of diminishing them. In bounded AI architectures, operators remain the accountable decision-makers—equipped with better information, not replaced by automation.

Key Takeaway

Attendees will leave with a practical governance framework for deploying AI in both regulated and non-regulated manufacturing environments—improving uptime, quality performance, and operational responsiveness without introducing accountability gaps or workforce disruption.

Educational Outcomes / Lessons Learned

Attendees will learn:

Why accountability ambiguity is a primary barrier to AI adoption in manufacturing
How to define and document AI decision boundaries
How to integrate explainability and traceability into existing quality systems
How rollback architecture reduces deployment risk
How bounded AI strengthens workforce trust and regulatory confidence

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

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

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

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

Across the country, regional education programs are accelerating the adoption of automation in high schools. In one workforce reshaping initiative, tens of thousands of dollars were invested to deploy multiple functional automation cells not only at a university level, but across seven local high schools. The goal was not simply to teach robotics it was to prepare students for real-world process automation environments before they ever step onto a shop floor.

This session explores what happens when education modernizes faster than local industry. As students gain hands on experience with automation systems, manufacturers that are not aligned with current tools, workflows, and expectations risk losing incoming talent to more automation ready competitors.

Attendees will gain insight into how regional workforce initiatives are redefining entry level skill sets and what practical steps manufacturers can take to evaluate their own alignment with the next generation of skilled labor.

In the pursuit of achieving modern automation, the focus is often on software, sensors and smart controls. However, the true success of any automated system is driven by a capable physical, mechanical foundation. Since the dawn of the CNC revolution, Electric Actuators have served as trusted technology in the transition from manual, cam-driven machines to high-performance, automated systems. EDrive technology, in particular, pioneered the first patented actuators designed to provide the rugged mechanical platform necessary to turn electronic signals into precise, heavy-duty motion—proving that digital precision is only as good as the mechanics behind it.

This session explores the evolution of linear motion through the eyes of the machine designer. Whether you are building a new machine from the ground up or seeking to modernize an existing process by converting from traditional fluid power to electromechanical systems, the success of the application depends on the mechanical interface. We will move beyond automation buzzwords to discuss core principles of actuator design, the critical role of the ball screw in high-force applications, and how a robust mechanical foundation allows any motor and control package to perform at its peak. Join us to see how EDrive’s legacy of "iron-clad" reliability provides the muscle for today’s manufacturing technology, helping designers build the high-performance machines of tomorrow.

Simon Schneider, Director of the Okuma Factory Automation for Okuma America Corporation, works closely with manufacturers of all sizes throughout the Americas.  Through these experiences, Simon has gained first-hand knowledge about challenges facing manufacturers today. Many of these challenges can be solved by leveraging and scaling automation technologies, thereby positioning manufacturers for greater efficiency and business growth both today and into the future. 

Short-Term Wins:

The case for preconfigured, easy-to-implement systems
Realize immediate impacts on production levels
Position for new business opportunities
Overcome workforce availability challenges
Achieve short-term ROI on investment

Long-Term Transformations:

Paradigm Shift - the changing role of the machinist/production worker; freeing resources for more strategic work
Evolve your business’s capabilities with the powerful human and technology combination
Scaling for business growth

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.

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

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

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

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

Lace up and run to fund STEM education.

Straight talk on the tooling that earned its keep and the game-changers that ended up buried in a drawer.

Manufacturers do not lack data; they lack a secure, scalable way to turn fragmented operational data into context that people and AI can reliably use. This session presents an adaptive cloud approach for managing that transformation at scale. It will show how data from machines, production systems, and enterprise applications can be governed, normalized, and mapped into consistent information-model shapes without sacrificing security, ownership, or operational control. 

The session then connects those information models to practical AI enablement. When assets, processes, events, and relationships share a trusted semantic structure, AI systems can reason over manufacturing context instead of isolated signals. This foundation supports more accurate discovery, natural-language interaction, decision support, and automation while reducing the cost and risk of building one-off data pipelines for every use case. 

Attendees will leave with a practical framework for separating data transport from meaning, managing information-model transformations across sites and systems, applying security and governance throughout the data lifecycle, and preparing industrial data for scalable AI adoption. The emphasis is on architectural lessons and implementation patterns that manufacturers can apply as they modernize operations—starting with existing environments rather than requiring a wholesale replacement. 

In this candid fireside conversation, Allison Roberts Grealis will sit down with Dr. Sharon Cobb, the IMTS Elevate 2024 keynote whose leadership played a pivotal role in producing NASA’s new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which launched the Orion spacecraft on April 1 for Artemis II: NASA’s first crewed lunar flyby in 50 years.

Dr. Cobb is helping shape the industry’s future through leadership, innovation, and advocacy. This conversation will examine leadership lessons, career pivots, and how women leaders are creating meaningful change across manufacturing organizations worldwide.

Discussion Themes:

• Personal leadership journey
• Lessons learned from leading in manufacturing
• The future of women in advanced manufacturing
• Advice for the next generation of industry leaders
   

Welcome to the new Industrial Frontier—where human ingenuity and machine intelligence scale together. Agentic AI drives an unprecedented convergence of automation, digitalization, and industrial software. The result: Systems that don’t just respond, but instead create advantage across the entire value chain. Discover how humans, machines, and agents are together shaping a new frontier of industry—unlocking unmatched performance, accelerated innovation, and new horizons of growth.

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

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

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

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

The standoff between the people quoting the work and the people cutting it, and how to finally bridge it.

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

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.

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. 

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Women aren’t waiting for an invitation to shape the future of manufacturing. This candid conversation brings together women from across the industry to talk about getting in, staying in, and stepping up — from the shop floor to leadership — and what needs to change to build the next generation of manufacturing.