Manufacturing Enters a New Productivity Era at IMTS 2026
As manufacturers face rising demand alongside persistent labor constraints, IMTS 2026 – The International Manufacturing Technology Show will spotlight the next wave of enabling technologies reshaping how work gets done on the shop floor. From automation to digital workflows to AI-enhanced solutions, job shops and contract manufacturers will learn how they can dramatically increase productivity, extend unattended operations, and eliminate non-value-added tasks across their operations.
“Boosting labor productivity is essential to strengthening the U.S. industrial base, and the technologies on display at IMTS demonstrate how manufacturers can do more with the teams they have,” says Douglas K. Woods, president of AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which owns and produces IMTS. “The pace of innovation, both in capability and in how quickly and easily solutions can be implemented, makes advanced manufacturing solutions more accessible than ever. IMTS is where manufacturers can see these technologies in action and learn how to apply them to solve problems and elevate performance.”
IMTS 2026, which runs Sept. 14-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago, will bring together more than 86,000 registrants, 1,800 exhibitors, and 10 Technology Sectors, covering 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space.
“The technology and human intelligence found at IMTS drive American competitiveness,” says Ryan Kelly, vice president of technology at AMT. “For example, 71% of high-performing job shops employ some form of unattended operation, significantly increasing machine utilization and revenue. As a result, machine use rises from 8 1/2 to 15 hours per day, and sales per machine rise from $183,000 to $350,000. However, adoption remains uneven, creating a major opportunity for shops that invest in advanced technologies to gain a competitive edge.”
In addition to foundational machine tools, the advanced and enabling technologies at IMTS encompass automation, software, machine control, metrology, workholding, and tooling, as well as more than 10 conferences, so visitors can network and learn how to apply the technology.
AI-Enhanced Software
Kelly says, “IMTS 2026 visitors will see hundreds of AI-enhanced solutions, but that shouldn’t intimidate anyone. AI works in the background. What matters is how the solution works in your operation.”
Exhibitor Toolpath offers AI-powered estimating and CAM software that can, in seconds or minutes, determine whether a shop has the tooling and capabilities to machine a part, the job’s cost and profitability, and program the tool path.
“Toolpath blends deep manufacturing experience with AI, so we can program advanced parts fast,” says user Jeff Tiedeken, co-owner of Cutting Time, a model-building and prototype shop. “It saves hours every week and even handles quoting. For a small shop competing with big ones, that time saving is huge.”
The new Mastercam Copilot software brings AI automation to everyday programming tasks. Machinists can adjust feed rates and spindle speeds across multiple operations using voice or text commands, with confirmation prompts built in for safety.
Quality Assurance
At IMTS 2026, look for quality assurance systems and software that can unify metrology data and images, analytics, and data management into a single, connected platform. Exhibitors, including Hexagon, Lumafield, Nikon Metrology, Zeiss, and others, will feature solutions that streamline complex metrology tasks for users of all experience levels.
Rather than mere tolerance confirmation, advanced quality assurance technologies have become a strategic business advantage. As a result of attending IMTS 2024, EWT/3DCNC Inc., a contract machine shop in Rockford, Illinois, added a Zeiss Contura bridge CMM with a touch probe and a Zeiss O-Inspect multisensor vision measuring machine with a touch probe, a camera, and a white light scanner (read story).
“We do high-speed machining, prototype work, machine complex parts for defense, medical, and mold-and-die jobs, and we do a lot of aerospace work,” says Craig Johanson, lead inspector and CAD/CAM programmer. “Because the aerospace industry requires increasingly more documentation, we needed more accurate metrology equipment, enhanced documentation, and a better way of entering data.”
“Top-performing shops continuously modernize operations to generate more sales per employee, grow revenue, and increase gross margin,” says Travis Egan, AMT’s chief revenue officer. “IMTS represents the greatest collection of manufacturing knowledge available in the Western Hemisphere. With the show less than four months away, meet with your teams, identify bottlenecks, set new goals, and match them to solutions from the more than 1,800 exhibitors.”
For more information: www.imts.com
