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.

As manufacturers rethink supply chains and domestic production, Haddy is demonstrating a new model built around robotic microfactories. Rather than shipping products around the world, digital manufacturing enables products to be produced closer to where they're needed. This session examines how additive manufacturing, robotics, and automation help to create a more resilient, responsive, and sustainable manufacturing ecosystem.

Busy doesn't mean profitable. Find out where the money's leaking before it sinks you.

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

Close out the day with IMTS Unwind on the IMTS+ Main Stage! Hosted by the vibrant Marley Kayden, 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.

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.

Explore how headline-grabbing economic news affects everything from business decisions to choices at the checkout counter and what they mean for manufacturers like yourself.

After establishing the economic setting, the story will shift to the role of automation in the modern shop facing persistent employment gaps.

Looking toward the future, the presentation will conclude by examining new opportunities created by the AI boom and thoughts on how to best capitalize in a brightening manufacturing future.

Join the leaders featured in the IMTS+ Original Series The Architect as they discuss theideas, technologies, and partnerships shaping the future of manufacturing.

What the cutting tool reps put on the spec sheet versus what machinists actually run when the door's closed.

Explore how the North American machine tool industry is adapting to cost pressures, workforce challenges, and rapid digitalization. This session examines real-world ROI from closed-loop manufacturing, predictive maintenance, and advanced control systems, while highlighting emerging technologies—AI, automation, and smart data integration—that will define machining over the next 3–5 years.

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.

Manufacturers increasingly struggle with bonding, fastening, and finishing as materials and production speeds evolve. This session introduces a practical maturity model that helps organizations move from trial-and-error adhesion toward predictable, inspectable, and certifiable processes. Learn how surface energy measurement and digital process control enable higher quality, faster scaling, and reduced manufacturing risk.

If your automation plan stalls at the metrology step, this talk is for you. Machines have gotten faster. Automation has gotten smarter. But inspection is still slowing too many of us down.  Modern in‑process metrology—laser, vision, probing, and form measurement—can unlock the productivity your machines already have inside them.

We’ll demonstrate how laser measurement systems's dense measurement stream boosts process reliability.  How visualization software provides instant actionable data for operators and engineers.  And how precision probing standardizes setups in minutes.  Measuring and automation software can also hlep you run longer, with fewer stops, and higher confidence. 

With in‑process measurement, you can detect wear and breakage before it becomes scrap, correct offsets automatically, validate geometry inside the machine, achieve true “first‑part‑right”, and ultimately run longer without an operator standing next to the machine.  This isn’t a dream. It’s happening right now in factories that have digitized the measurement stage.  "Lights out" production is truely possible. 

New approaches to reasoning on physical design characteristics and constraints are dramatically reducing the length of the design-to-part cycle. Learn why and how this long-time bottleneck is being removed now and what it means for process planning.

This paper discusses the application of digital twin technology in surface?finish validation for 5?axis machines prior to actual machining. Five?axis machining is a complex process, and surface finish can be influenced by numerous factors, including machine dynamics, machining conditions (acc/dec and smoothing functions), tool paths, tooling, and feeds and speeds. Traditionally, these factors had to be tested and verified individually on physical machines to ensure optimal surface quality—a practice that consumed significant machine time.

A digital twin is a virtual model that replicates a physical machine tool and its operating environment in real time, enabling rapid optimization of surface finish without requiring tests on an actual machine. In this paper, the implementation of digital twin technology using CNC Guide 2 and the Surface Estimation tool to achieve optimal surface finish is discussed in detail. Real?life examples of parts from both machine tool builders (MTBs) and end users are included to illustrate the practical application of this approach.

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.

AMDT research shows a persistent “reality gap” inside industrial organizations: executives are highly confident in their OT security and stability, while the teams closest to the equipment see frequent disruptions, human error, and growing cyber exposure. This session helps manufacturers close that gap by combining data from US plants with a practical playbook for unifying leadership, engineering, and OT around a single source of truth for configurations, changes, and incidents. 

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. 

Surface preparation, finishing, and cleaning operations face mounting pressure from labor shortages, rising costs, and heightened safety risks in hazardous environments. This session explores how embodied AI and safety-certified, explosion-proof robotics enable adaptive process innovation in finishing applications where variability and compliance constraints limit traditional automation. Attendees will learn how closed-loop, AI-driven automation software enhances safety, reduces rework and downtime, shortens changeovers, and stabilizes high-mix operations. The discussion highlights practical approaches to protecting workers, maintaining compliance, and transforming finishing processes into scalable, resilient, margin-protecting manufacturing capabilities.

Session Type: Technical Case Study with Live Demonstration

Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Duration: 45-60 minutes (including Q&A)

What You'll Learn:

How to connect industrial equipment to modern AI chat agents using standard protocols

Best practices for creating machine-specific knowledge bases that LLMs can reliably query

Practical strategies to prevent AI hallucinations when dealing with technical manufacturing data

Real-world implementation challenges and solutions from a production environment

A repeatable framework for making your machines "conversational"

Who Should Attend:

Manufacturing engineers, automation specialists, plant managers, and technical leaders exploring AI

applications for production environments. Basic familiarity with ChatGPT or Claude is helpful but not

required.

Key Takeaway:

By the end of this session, you'll understand how to architect an AI conversation layer for your manufacturing equipment—transforming complex machine data into accessible insights through natural language interaction.

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.

When the machine checks out fine but the scrap bin keeps filling up: the real culprits behind blown parts.

Five days, miles of show floor. By Friday, one question remains: of everything at IMTS 2026, what actually matters for your shop? The MakingChips hosts and guests break down the tech that mattered, debate what's next, and place their bets. We'll also announce who won the DN Solutions + Kennametal Machine Giveaway at the end.

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.

Paper, classroom or hands-on hours – an honest take on which one actually moves your career forward.

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! Hosted by the vibrant Marley Kayden, 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.

Close out the day with IMTS Unwind on the IMTS+ Main Stage! Hosted by the vibrant Marley Kayden, 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.

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.

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.