With nearly 1,800 exhibitors of technology to explore, there’s a lot to see at IMTS 2026. But some of the best insights may come from simply listening to the people putting that technology to work.Onome Scott-Emuakpor of Hyphen Innovations and James Hockey of Incodema3D offer perspective on additive technologies and ideas shaping manufacturing.Every day of IMTS, IMTS Today and IMTS Unwind bring the manufacturing community together on the IMTS+ Main Stage in the Grand Concourse for fast-moving conversations with nearly 50 guests from across the industry. IMTS Today kicks off at 10 a.m. Monday and 9 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday, offering ideas and inspiration before attendees head onto the show floor. At 4:15 p.m. each afternoon, IMTS Unwind offers a chance to regroup, hear what others are discovering, and put the day into perspective. The interviews are short – typically five to seven minutes – but the perspectives cover an enormous range. Straight From the Shop FloorMeet manufacturers who can speak firsthand about running and growing a business. Mike Payne of Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication shares insights on shop leadership – and the company’s unusual “Hill’s Hounds” foster-dog program. Chris Basgall of Catamount Machine Works discusses digital transformation and breaking into aerospace and defense, while Jeff Tiedeken of Muon Space and Astro Mechanica explores what it takes to manufacture products that have never been made before. Tom and Alex Bassett of ProCam Services share how discoveries at IMTS have translated into real investments and productivity gains back at their shop. And Jamie and Lee Marzilli, co-owners of Marzilli Machine and founders of WarpCore AI, talk about growing a machine shop, building a team, and what an “AI-native machine shop” looks like in practice. While Onome Scott-Emuakpor of Hyphen Innovations and James Hockey of Incodema3D offer perspectives on additive technologies and ideas shaping manufacturing. Tom and Alex Bassett of ProCam Services, with Alexander Zoller of Zoller, share how discoveries at IMTS have translated into real investments and productivity gains back at their shop. Follow the Technology Then there are the numbers behind those investments. Hear from Principal Economist Christopher Chidzik of AMT̵ – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, about the economic signals driving manufacturing investment, and from Ryan Kelly, AMT vice president of technology, about Industrial AI, emerging technologies, and where investors see opportunity. Nicole Wolter, CEO of HM Manufacturing and an industry leader, will speak about her new role as a member of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Manufacturing in America Committee. Nicole Wolter, CEO of HM Manufacturing, and the author Kathy Keyes.Technology takes center stage throughout the week. Jay Rogers, CEO and co-founder of Haddy, discusses AI-enhanced additive manufacturing, robotics, and rebuilding America’s capacity to make things. Alexander Zoller of Zoller explores how tooling data, digitalization, and automation are transforming the tool room – helping manufacturers increase machine uptime and get more productivity from their people and equipment. Chuck Byers of the Industry IoT Consortium explores the manufacturing opportunities being created by the data center boom – and even the possibility of putting data centers in space. Scientists Lonnie Love and Dan Turner of Sandia National Laboratories take viewers inside Aires Tide, the 11-foot, AI-designed flight-test vehicle featured in AMT’s Emerging Technology Center. Tom Feldhausen of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) explores the automated manufacturing cell producing drones live throughout IMTS – and on Saturday, ORNL’s Alex Roschli returns to tell us how six days of live production actually went. Aires Tide, the 11-foot, AI-designed flight-test vehicle featured in AMT’s Emerging Technology Center. Meet Manufacturing’s Next Generation The conversations also explore the people who will carry manufacturing forward. Catherine Ross of AMT and Allison Grealis of Women in Manufacturing discuss mentorship, leadership, career growth, and IMTS ELEVATE. Renée Richardson of Metallica’s All Within My Hands foundation shares the impact of the Metallica Scholars Initiative and its work expanding access to skilled trades and technical careers. Ross returns with Meghan Shea-Keenan of SME to explore the hands-on experiences and career pathways at the IMTS Smartforce Student Summit. Wade Newton of SME looks at workforce and industry issues from a national perspective, while Shae Eichele of The HEH Group shares why manufacturing’s many layers and career paths create opportunities that few other industries can match. A Global Manufacturing ConversationManufacturing’s reach is global, too. AMT’s Carlos Mortera discusses growing opportunities across Latin America and the Spanish-language programming at IMTS, including IMTS Conferencias Técnicas. The Stories Behind ManufacturingAnd some of the most memorable conversations are personal. On Saturday, meet the Kenyeri family, whose tradition of attending IMTS began when Ronnie Kenyeri was just 5 years old. Today, Ronnie is an R&D engineer at Procter & Gamble, his brother Eric is pursuing biomedical research, and his parents, Ron and Tracy, have built their own manufacturing company. The Kenyeri family tradition of attending IMTS began when Ronnie Kenyeri was just 5 years old.Along the way, expect conversations about aerospace and defense, AI and automation, data centers, additive manufacturing, reshoring, economics, entrepreneurship, workforce, investment, and the technologies guests themselves are discovering at IMTS 2026. No lengthy presentations. Just quick conversations, fresh perspectives, good stories, and ideas you can carry onto the show floor. Add IMTS Today and IMTS Unwind to your IMTS MyShow Planner so they’re part of your daily itinerary. Start the day with us on the Main Stage, then come back at 4:15 p.m. for IMTS Unwind and hear what the manufacturing community is talking about now. Do make sure you register for the greatest show in manufacturing and technology at IMTS.com/Register. Contact me if you need help registering at KKeyes@AMTonline.org.Further Reading:Video Game or Factory Floor? AMT ETC Digital Shadow Turns Manufacturing Data Into an Interactive 3D ExperienceIndustrial Laser Conference: 11 Ways Lasers Are Changing ManufacturingGrowing Up With IMTS Spurs STEM Careers
Start and end your day on the IMTS+ Main Stage, hear quick conversations from across the industry, and get a snapshot of what’s happening at IMTS.
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