IMTS 2026 Expands Focus on Industrial AI, Investor Relations, and Spanish-Speaking Manufacturers

The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) 2026 is set to deliver an expanded educational program with nine distinct events and over 90 sessions, targeting key areas such as industrial artificial intelligence, investor relations, and the Spanish-speaking manufacturing community. Scheduled for September 14-19 at Chicago's McCormick Place, the event is expected to attract more than 86,000 registrants and 1,800 exhibitors across 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space.

A Comprehensive Educational Experience

Conferences at IMTS 2026 will be held from Monday through Thursday, each requiring separate registration but providing full access to exhibition halls. According to Bonnie Gurney, AMT's Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Industry Relations, "Conferences at IMTS offer manufacturers actionable insights that can be applied immediately to enhance competitiveness and tackle pressing challenges. They also facilitate valuable connections with industry experts and peers."

The flagship IMTS 2026 Conference features 69 sessions covering a wide range of topics, including automation, systems integration, metrology, tooling, and software. Highlights include discussions on model-based design for OEMs, in-spindle automation for lights-out manufacturing, vision AI for quality inspection, and the role of additive manufacturing (AM) in precision applications.

Focused Events for Diverse Industry Needs

The event's nine conferences cover a broad spectrum of industry interests. On September 15, attendees can participate in the half-day Job Shops Workshop (1–4:30 p.m.), the Día de América Latina en IMTS for the Spanish-speaking manufacturing community, the AM+ Workshop focused on aerospace and defense applications, and the all-day Investor Summit. The Investor Summit is particularly noteworthy, as it targets a manufacturing technology sector valued at an estimated $65 billion.

September 16 features four additional events: - The ELEVATE Conference, co-presented by AMT and the Women in Manufacturing Association (WiM) - The Industrial Laser Conference, presented by the Laser Institute of America (LIA), covering applications from marking and cutting to AM and remote welding - An EBITDA Growth Systems session on entering defense, space, and aerospace supply chains - The newly launched Industrial AI Conference

Industrial AI: From Experimentation to Implementation

The Industrial AI Conference, taking place all day on September 16, is designed for manufacturers aiming to achieve tangible outcomes from AI technologies. Ryan Kelly, AMT's Vice President of Technology, stated, "We created the IMTS Industrial AI Conference to help manufacturers move beyond experimentation and understand where AI can deliver measurable business value."

Keynote speaker Dr. Jay Lee from the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland will address three primary obstacles to AI adoption in manufacturing: data accessibility, tool selection, and the decision between edge and cloud processing. A featured case study will demonstrate how low-cost edge AI devices can be used to monitor CNC machines using a stream-of-quality (SoQ) methodology.

Bridging the Gap Between AI and Industrial Reality

The Industrial AI Conference marks a strategic shift in IMTS's approach to AI. Instead of presenting AI as a futuristic concept, the event will focus on practical deployment, shop floor results, and the identification of necessary data, tools, and infrastructure. Industry experts emphasize that AI's greatest impact in AM is likely to occur before and during production, enabling early defect detection and real-time adjustment of print parameters without human intervention. Forecasters anticipate that AI-driven workflows and closed-loop quality systems will become increasingly prevalent.

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