MT Magazine September/October 2025

THE INTERNATIONAL ISSUE

IMTS

20

6 Days. 1 Show. Achieve the Impossible at IMTS 2026 BY MICHELLE EDMONSON VICE PRESIDENT, EXHIBITIONS AT AMT

What you accomplish in the six days of IMTS 2026 – The International Manufacturing Technology Show can shape your business for the next five years. With just under one year to go, now is the time to start planning your most strategic IMTS

DVF 5000 at IMTS 2024, reducing milling time on a rocket part from 72 hours to 20. His company’s previous IMTS purchase, Zoller’s (booth #432018) presetter and heat shrinker, helped boost revenue by more than $1 million.

“When you’re in your shop every day, you live in a bubble,” says Bassett. “IMTS opens up the world. It’s a powerhouse of innovation, bringing together everything related to manufacturing under one roof.” Florida shop owner Chris Basgall, CEO of Catamount Machine Works, experienced a similar leap. In the Software Sector at IMTS 2024, he discovered High QA’s (booth #134500) auto-ballooning software, which instantly extracts part dimensions and generates a bill of characteristics from 2D drawings. “High QA reduced our document prep time by 80%,” says Basgall. “It is our

visit yet. Breakthrough technologies, bold investments, and renewed energy around U.S. manufacturing are converging to make IMTS 2026 a game changer. IMTS brings together the ideas, technologies, and people that move our industry forward and help people and businesses achieve the impossible. From Sept. 14-19, 2026, McCormick Place in Chicago will again become a launchpad for innovation and adoption. The excitement is building.

highest ROI project in the past five years.”

AI and Automation at Scale Artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and digital manufacturing solutions will take center stage at IMTS 2026 – and not just in theory. Leading tech giants like Amazon Web Services (booth #236217), Google Cloud (booth #236709), and Microsoft (booth #236609) are all returning to the Automation Sector, accelerated by SPS – Smart Production Solutions, to demonstrate real-world applications that drive performance and precision. But the innovation doesn’t stop there. Exhibitors across all 10 technology sectors are integrating AI to:

A Stronger Climate for U.S. Manufacturing Behind the momentum for IMTS 2026 is a resurging U.S. manufacturing economy. With personal consumption expenditures in the United States reaching approximately $19 trillion, companies increasingly want to produce goods where they’re consumed. “We have seen more than $2 trillion in manufacturing investment this year, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes tax policies that encourage more investment,” says Douglas K. Woods, president of AMT. “With smart policy, global partnerships, and a likely drop in interest rates, the business climate heading into IMTS 2026 will be stronger than ever.”

• Generate toolpaths automatically • Optimize production schedules

• Analyze data to improve machine uptime • Enhance vision systems and inspection • Strengthen supply chain resilience

For the first time, IMTS will feature a dedicated AI Arena and an Industrial AI Conference, underscoring AI’s rapid, widespread integration across nearly every facet of manufacturing. Proof in Performance: Real IMTS Results For manufacturers like Tom Bassett, owner of Pro-Cam Services LLC in Michigan, IMTS delivers direct ROI. His 24-person CNC job shop bought a DN Solutions (booth #338919) 5-axis