America, how are you doing implementing automation? Like an engineer’s response to every question, the answer starts with “It depends.” Worldwide robot density is “surging” according to the April 8 International Federation of Robotics (IFR) report. North America’s robot density increased 4%, but the United States ranks eighth worldwide with 307 units per 10,000 employees compared to 1,220 units for South Korea and more than 400 units for Singapore, Germany, and Japan. For America to strengthen its industrial base and stimulate reshoring and direct foreign investment, we need more automation. Top-performing shops have high adoption rates, average small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have room to grow, and low performers need to modernize or risk obsolescence. Fortunately, IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show offers automation solutions for every operation. IMTS exhibitors, such as Boston Dynamics, will change your perception of what robots look like and what they can do. Automation Motivation A recent story in “MT Magazine” by Gary Vasilash notes that 71% of top shops employ some form of unattended operation. As a result, machine use rises from 8-1/2 to 15 hours per day, and sales per machine rises from $183,000 to $350,000. If boosting sales doesn’t motivate you, the reduced scrap rate (0.9% versus 2.4%), higher first-pass yield (95% versus 90%), and better on-time delivery (94 versus 86%) should. Other sources confirm these numbers. Auburn University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Manufacturing Systems notes that 37% of SMEs use automation. National Machining & Tooling Association President Roger Atkins presented similar statistics at AMT’s MTForecast economic conference. He noted the job shops automation adoption rate has held steady at more than 30%. High-performing shops generate $246,140 sales per employee versus $207,366 for a typical company, and I suspect unattended run-time plays an outsized role in the difference. Among U.S. manufacturers, 93% employ less than 99 people, with many machine shops and metal fabricators employing 50 or fewer. SMEs don’t have large capital budgets to risk, often structure their operations for high-mix production, lack process stability, have weak digital systems, and lack in-house automation expertise – all historical barriers to automation. Automation Is Everywhere For those who have not attended IMTS or missed the last two shows, the breadth of automation at IMTS 2026 will amaze you: The Automation Sector, launched at IMTS 2024, features more than 260 exhibitors including global automation giants, software and digital manufacturing leaders, established providers, and innovators of all sizes. The Automation Sector at IMTS offers solutions for job shops and manufacturers of all sizes.Automation integrators provide pre-engineered and custom packages, typically for contract manufacturers with mid- to higher-volume programs. Integrators at IMTS include Acme Manufacturing (IMTS booth #237030), Ahaus Tool and Engineering (IMTS booth #236008), Creative Automation (IMTS booth #236006), Mitsubishi Electric Automation (IMTS booth #338136), Nachi Robotics (IMTS booth #236603) PrimeTest Automation (IMTS booth #134632), SW North America (IMTS booth #338250), Weldon Solutions (IMTS booth #236850), and many others. IMTS exhibitors, such as Nachi Robotics, can help manufacturers automate almost anything.Machine tool manufacturers, in the Metal Removal Sector, feature their CNCs as part of cells designed for unattended run-time with robots, cobots, pallet pools, tombstones, and bar feeders. Machine tool companies, such as Marubeni Citizen-Cincom, demonstrate their CNCs as part of an automation manufacturing cell. Pallet pools from JTEKT enable long unattended run-time and high-mix operation by using different fixturing on the pallets.Okuma combines robots and cobots with multi-tasking CNCs, enabling long unattended run-times. Automating activity around a spindle is so foundational that FANUC (IMTS booth #338900), which announced plans to build a 840,000-square-foot facility, now occupies a front row position in the South Building. FANUC demonstrates its cobot and robot arms as part of problem-solving solutions, such as this vision system. As the most visible example at IMTS 2026, hundreds of cobots will perform functions such as load/unload, pick, place, palletize, paint, inspect, weld, cut, sand, screw, bolt, glue, and inspect. Cobots succeed where industrial automation fails because they do not require programming expertise, can be quickly reprogrammed to suit high-mix environments, can be moved between work locations, and free skilled workers to focus on higher-value tasks. Cobots are the most visible example of automation at IMTS. “If you’re evaluating cobots at IMTS, get hands-on and try the programming yourself,” says Rob Goldiez, CEO of Hirebotics, (IMTS booth #236341) whose cobot can be set up and controlled with a smart phone. IMTS showcases the automation ecosystem, such as this Hirebotics cobot and a repeatable clamping system, both essential for low-volume, high-mix applications. Taking a cue from the automotive industry to address affordability, cobot leader Universal Robots (IMTS booth 236744), and full-service automation provider Formic Technologies (IMTS booth #236329) now offer “low-risk 0%” and “no CapEx” financing. Productive Robots (IMTS booth #339186) promotes CNC mill and lathe packages for less than $1,000 a month, same-day approval, and zero down. Universal Robots, which has sold more than 100,000 cobots, now offers 0% financing, removing a critical cost barrier for smaller businesses. Automation solutions, which include data automation, are found in all 10 Technology Sectors at IMTS. Here are just a few examples. Automation Gimbel Automation (IMTS booth #236253) rethinks automation with its in-machine CNC automation solutions, where the CNC acts as its own robotic part loader. Solutions such as its CNC spindle grippers, self-centering “autovises,” “GripFlipGrip" integrated part-flipping modules, and pallet automation require no programming expertise and deliver a payback in an average of seven weeks. Standard Bots (IMTS booth #236652) believes robots should be taught, not programmed, to make it easier and more affordable for customers without robotics experience. Users can demonstrate a task to the robot; it will then perform the task autonomously in a learning mode and then self-adapt to variations in the environment. Essential Components Successful automation requires consistency and thinking about the entire workflow. For example, if the CNC shuts down because of a chip or coolant issue, it reduces the value of a load/unload cobot. Exhibitors such as Jorgensen Conveyor (IMTS booth #338009), Hennig (IMTS booth #339133), Mayfran (IMTS booth #338790), and others offer chip management systems designed for lights-out manufacturing. Cutting Automation Behringer (IMTS booth #236844) offers saws with functions such as an automatic guide arm that optimizes sawing results without adjustments, even with frequently changing material sizes. Manually checking wear, run-time, coolant, consumables, and other labor-intensive activities wastes time and slows analytics. For real-time monitoring of equipment performance, software such as OMAX (IMTS booth #135020) IntelliMAX software frees time, improves accuracy, unlocks analytics to improve performance, and can predict system behavior. Metal Removal CNC exhibitors emphasize pallet systems to achieve unattended run-time in a high-mix operation. Incodema3D operates dozens of EOS (IMTS booth #338450) metal AM systems in a production environment. To finish surfaces and add features, Incodema3D uses two Mazak (IMTS booth #338300) i700 Variaxis five-axis machining centers with 120-tool carousels and Palletech Systems to enable “done-in-one” setups and unattended operation. Part loading options at IMTS are as numerous as the machine providers. Quality Assurance 3D scanning and associated automation technology compress minutes or hours into seconds. FARO CREAFORM (two big names that came together in January under AMETEK – IMTS booth #134730) has three new models in its CUBE-R M series, which uses its MetraSCAN 3D-R scanner as part of a turkey robot cell designed for a shopfloor environment. FARO CREAFORM showcases the MetraSCAN 3D-R, a 3D scanning system designed for automation. Note the display on the monitor, which can visually highlight conformity and variances. Software When Matt Gawlik, president of 3D Graphite & Machining, gives customers a tour, he starts with software. “We have a proven system that can track every aspect of their job,” says Gawlik. “When I can press a button on our ProShop (IMTS booth #133027) ERP software and show them accurate reports presenting data in an actionable format, it makes them feel more comfortable doing business with us.” Jamie Marzilli, president of Marzilli Machine, also uses ProShop as a sales tool. “If you’re sitting in a meeting with the head of procurement and the company planner, and those guys see the control you have over planning and scheduling in your company, they’re going to have the confidence to send you work.” Tooling & Workholding Top Shop award-winner Major Tool & Machine drives out variability starting in the tool room. President Mike Griffith says, “We use a shrink-fit and tool balancing equipment from HAIMER (IMTS booth #431510). Balancing a tool is critical for improving tool life when you’re running on a high-speed machine and trying to generate as many hours as possible of unattended run-time.” HAIMER’s Automation Cube One integrates a cobot for fully autonomous tool measurement, shrinking/unshrinking, and total tool assembly for completely autonomous, lights-out production. HAIMER fully automates the tool set-up process for lights-out operation. Experts Who Know Your Business What differentiates IMTS 2026 from other trade shows is that exhibitors know the job shop environment. They can help you identify what processes and part families to automate, when not to automate, how to develop an automation plan, and direct you to other partners to help make your shop automation-ready. Register now at IMTS.com.
IMTS 2026 showcases affordable automation for manufacturers, from cobots to AI-driven systems, helping SMEs boost productivity, quality, and unattended production with low-risk financing.
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