Across the show floor at IMTS 2026 – The International Manufacturing Technology, the excitement was unmistakable. Visitors arrived with real production challenges; exhibitors demonstrated practical answers; and conversations quickly turned into action plans. New relationships were formed, longstanding partnerships were strengthened, and business moved forward as manufacturers compared technologies, explored investments, and found solutions they could put to work. For exhibitors, the strength of the marketplace shined through in total attendance and the decision-making authority of the people moving through the aisles. IMTS 2026 drew more than 90,000 registrants, including an estimated 15,000 students, from all 50 states and 113 countries. They came to explore technologies and find solutions from 1,788 exhibiting companies, including 400 new exhibitors. Before the doors opened, the show’s floor-density ratio stood at 1.42, meaning 142 visitors for every 100 exhibitor personnel, a strong concentration of prospective customers, partners, and industry peers on the show floor. As the week went on, the floor-density ratio increased to 1.65 – an all-time IMTS record! “Investment is flowing into U.S. manufacturing at the same time companies are rethinking and regionalizing their supply chains,” said Douglas K. Woods, president of AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. “The technologies at IMTS give manufacturers the productivity, flexibility, and scale to capitalize on that opportunity, and only IMTS brings the entire manufacturing technology ecosystem together.” That activity came at a pivotal moment for manufacturing investment. Metalworking machinery orders totaled $4 billion through July 2026, up 37% compared with the first seven months of 2025. “The energy and optimism of IMTS 2026 have been unlike any I’ve ever been to, and I’ve been to lots of IMTS shows. It’s palpable,” said Paul Van Metre, co-founder of exhibitor ProShop ERP and co-host of MakingChips. "There is so much demand for machined parts right now that shops are actively looking for technology, automation, new equipment, and software. Seeing the drones get built in the Emerging Technology Center, Boom Supersonic, and SpaceX is energizing. It’s just wild and really fun.”For Nicole Wolter, president and CEO of HM Manufacturing and a frequent IMTS visitor, that enthusiasm translates directly to her shop. “IMTS enables me to see the new technology and how it applies to my job. I buy new equipment for our shop at every show,” said Wolter. “We’re starting to implement AI, and we spent time with our friends from FANUC to learn how it is advancing AI to enable automation of difficult tasks and make programming more intuitive.” Sometimes, the value of IMTS comes down to one conversation that continues after the show. Roger Buccolo, plant manager at Teledyne Oil & Gas in Orlando, Florida, came to IMTS 2026 specifically for the inaugural Industrial AI Conference to learn how to bring artificial intelligence onto the manufacturing floor. He also attended the IMTS Job Shops Workshop, where he met Chris Basgall, CEO of Catamount Machine Works, a precision machine shop in Plant City, Florida, about an hour away. Before leaving IMTS, the two had already planned their next meeting. That combination of technology, opportunity, and connection is what gives IMTS its lasting impact. Technologies discovered in Chicago flow onto shop floors. Conversations become relationships. Relationships lead to business. Investments become purchase orders. And ideas become new possibilities. “Manufacturing is ultimately a community of people who make things and solve problems,” Woods said. “The real measure of IMTS 2026 will be what happens next: the investments manufacturers make, the technologies they put to work, the relationships they build, and what they make possible because they came together in Chicago.” Further Reading: The Machinists Behind Kratos' Unmanned Aircraft10 AI Management Tools You Can Find at IMTS 2026Photo-to-Sim: From Snapshot to Shop Floor
Our recap of IMTS 2026: visitors arrived with real production challenges; exhibitors demonstrated practical answers; and conversations quickly turned into action plans.
Subscribe to Newsletters
Get the latest news from IMTS delivered to your inbox.