Watch drones produced in a live, automated manufacturing cell – then see them fly. Stand beside Aires Tide, an 11-foot-tall, AI-designed flight test vehicle. Discover the digital backbone that keeps modern manufacturing running with MTConnect. At IMTS 2026 – The International Manufacturing Technology Show, Sept. 14-19, visitors will see how manufacturers can dramatically reduce the time required to design, build, and validate new products in the AMT Emerging Technology Center (ETC). One of IMTS' premier featured experiences, the ETC demonstrates how digital engineering, artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, automation, and connected production systems work together to shorten development cycles and enable more flexible production. Located just inside the North Building in IMTS booth #236700, the ETC highlights how public-private partnerships can accelerate manufacturing innovation from concept to deployment. Together, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, the Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Sandia National Laboratories, and industry leaders demonstrate how collaboration among national research laboratories and commercial manufacturers is advancing development cycles, strengthening supply chains, and supporting the U.S. defense industrial base. “Manufacturers achieve the greatest gains when advanced technologies work together, not in isolation,” says Ryan Kelly, AMT vice president – technology. “The ETC gives visitors a chance to see digital engineering, AI, automation, additive manufacturing, and connected systems functioning as a complete manufacturing workflow. The projects demonstrate practical ways manufacturers can reduce development time, improve productivity, and respond more quickly to changing market demands. Throughout IMTS, attendees can dive deeper by exploring the machines, software, automation, and digital tools behind those capabilities.” The ETC features three exhibits: Drone Production and Flight Demonstrations, Aires Tide, and MTConnect. Register NowDrone Production and Flight DemonstrationsFrom top to bottom: 3D printed drone shells; Expanding foam pellets and connectors added to the shell; A completed drone frame after the conclusion of molding; A fully assembled drone ready to fly. Every day during IMTS 2026, this automated manufacturing cell will produce drone quadcopter airframes using hybrid manufacturing and robotic assembly, and will then integrate, test, and fly complete units. Developed by the DOE Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL, the platform highlights how manufacturers can rapidly scale production while adapting to changing requirements.ORNL’s display will produce drones that then fly in a safely-netted area within the ETC. “This shows manufacturers how flexible production systems can quickly move from design to production while adapting to changing requirements,” says Thomas Feldhausen, ORNL R&D staff member. “By making bodies for drones with 3.5-, 5-, and 10-inch rotors, we’re presenting how we can address high-mix, low-volume production, as well as transition into higher-rate production to meet supply chain demands.”Scenarios that call for rapid drone production include search and rescue, inspection of power generation and power lines after a storm, delivery of medical or other critical supplies, and surveillance. The cell will demonstrate wire-arc additive manufacturing deposition rates of approximately two to 10 kilograms per hour, making it well suited to rapidly build large 3D forms while also performing subtractive machining on the printed components. Elements of the drone production platform include: ORNL and Mazak’s debut of the first flexible, high-volume wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) cell featuring Mazak’s (IMTS booth #338300) VC-Ez 20X and Mazak’s low-cost 5-axis WAAM system to grow near-net shapes; an expandable pallet shuttle system-buffer station where parts can cool and wait in queue, as well as a second VC-Ez 20 that can perform high-accuracy machining. The pallet shuttle can pass working pallets back and forward for applications that require multiple additive and subtractive build processes.  FANUC (IMTS booth #338900) robots: three CRX-10iA’s, a CRX-20iA/L, a M-20iB/25, and a 710iD/70. Drone electronics technology from Modal AI and Ark Electronics Wire-arc additive manufacturing technology from Fronius. Automation integration from Edgewater Automation. MTConnect standard to communicate production data. Polymer 3D printers from Prusa Research. CAD/CAM software from Open Mind (IMTS booth #133351). Tooling from Kennametal (IMTS booth #431800). Workholding from Schunk (IMTS booth #432010). Sensors from Sick. Vacuum handling solutions from Coval. Robotics safety enclosure from ITEM. Drone consultant from Merlin Effects. This cell is a low-cost solution for rapid prototyping of large near-net shapes. This approach is well suited for repair applications and for flexible, high-volume applications in the aerospace, defense, mining, shipbuilding, and power generation industries, where traditional sourcing methods can take months. Compared with traditional sourcing methods, the ORNL-Mazak cell dramatically compresses the timeline by producing near-net shapes in hours. Mazak VC EZ 20X and Mazak’s low-cost 5-axis WAAM system joined by Mazak's expandable pallet changer as a convergent manufacturing cell. The IMTS 2026 demonstration represents a major advancement in hybrid manufacturing, combining the speed of high-deposition-rate additive manufacturing with the precision, repeatability, and automation of Mazak's machining technology to create a scalable and expandable solution for next-generation metal manufacturing. Aires TideExterior view of Aires Tide, one of the first tangible results of the Genesis Mission, a historic effort led by the DOE, with support from Sandia National Laboratories and others. Interior cutaway of the full-scale, 11-foot-tall Aires Tide flight vehicle. Aires Tide is one of the first tangible results of the Genesis Mission, a historic effort led by the DOE, with support from Sandia National Laboratories (IMTS booth #237613), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Kansas City Nuclear Security Campus (KCNSC), to establish an interconnected web of national laboratory supercomputers powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Aires Tide illustrates the ability to apply AI, advanced computing, and additive manufacturing to rapidly design and deliver national security solutions. These technologies reduced the development timeline for Aires Tide to approximately six months, which is about seven times faster and 15 times less expensive than traditional manufacturing. The Aires Tide project centers on using AI-driven optimization to evaluate payload configurations and engineering trade-offs more efficiently. In the project’s design workflow, researchers applied advanced computational tools to explore complex design spaces and support a co-design approach in which components are developed as part of an integrated system rather than in isolation. On May 19, 2026, a half-scale Aires Tide vehicle was dropped from an altitude of 32,000 feet at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. The test-generated flight data will help the team assess performance, validate modeling and simulation results, and refine future designs. “We went from a concept in October to a test flight in May, and the DOE is excited,” said Lonnie Love, Ph.D., fellow at Sandia National Laboratories. “We demonstrated a framework in which we can develop new designs and test them in weeks to months rather than years.” Love explains that flight vehicles must have the center of mass and the center of pressure (or center of lift) in very specific positions for optimal flight. “Traditionally, changing vehicle designs to accommodate different payloads or flight forces would take engineering teams months,” says Love. “AI enables us to get the design to about 95% of the way there in days and hours, then we can add in design constraints with respect to additive manufacturing.” “Artificial intelligence helps us move faster and reach better solutions in both our technical and operational work,” adds Sandia National Laboratories Director Laura McGill. “It makes us more effective, freeing our engineers, scientists, and other staff across the Labs to focus on the critical, high-value work we do best. That ultimately allows Sandia to serve the nation even better.” The full-scale, 11-foot-tall Aires Tide flight vehicle to be showcased at IMTS was produced on a Velo3D (IMTS booth #338199) Sapphire XC metal additive manufacturing system using Inconel 718. Instead of printing a single large component, they divided the vehicle into modular sections that fit one inside another, allowing multiple major components to be printed simultaneously within the Sapphire’s 600 mm x 600 mm x 550 mm build volume. The components have an interlocking design that bolts together. The approach reduced print time, simplified assembly, and minimized post-processing. CAD image of the Aires Tide vehicle divided into modular sections, resembling a Russian nesting doll, allowing them to print the major components simultaneously within the Velo3D Sapphire XC 600 mm x 600 mm x 550 mm build volume. Much of the 3D printing was performed by Sandia’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation (CAMINO), including on equipment located at the KCNSC New Mexico Operations campus, with some supporting elements provided through CAMINO’s partnership with the University of Texas at El Paso. 3D printed modular sections of Aires Tide. Note: tapped holes and wings.MTConnect In the ETC, attendees can see firsthand how connected systems improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and support smart manufacturing initiatives, including lights-out operations. With standardized machine data, manufacturers can monitor and optimize operations from virtually anywhere – whether on the shop floor, at home, or even from a bike trail.  Experience Manufacturing at Mission Speed The AMT Emerging Technology Center offers a glimpse of what's possible when AI, automation, additive manufacturing, and connected systems work together. Experience it firsthand, then discover more than 1,800 exhibitors showcasing the technologies shaping the future of manufacturing at IMTS 2026, Sept. 14-19, at McCormick Place. Register today at IMTS.com. Further Reading: AM's Measured Growth Signals a More Mature IndustryDon't Miss These IMTS AttractionsIMTS 2026 Takes Flight with Boom Supersonic and Pivotal Helix

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