IMTS is where the manufacturing-technology world launches its newest machines and technology, so "what's new" is the reason a lot of people go. At IMTS 2026 (September 14–19, 2026, McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois), expect debuts across the whole floor — new machine tools, and heavy pushes in the three areas the show is leaning into: industrial AI, automation, and additive manufacturing.
The Industrial AI Arena is a destination in its own right — exhibitors showing AI applied to quality and inspection, process optimization, uptime and predictive maintenance, cybersecurity and demand forecasting. The Automation sector returns larger than its 2024 debut, with cobots, palletizing, gantry loading and lights-out cells. And additive keeps maturing toward real production, with more metal and polymer processes and materials than ever.
On the machine-tool side, the builders use IMTS to introduce new models, larger work envelopes, faster spindles, better multitasking and tighter automation integration. The best way to see exactly what's debuting is the builders' own IMTS pages and the official exhibitor directory — then compare what you see to the used market before you spend.
| Industrial AI Arena | AI for inspection, uptime, optimization, cybersecurity. |
|---|---|
| Automation sector | Cobots, palletizing, gantry load/unload, lights-out cells. |
| Additive | Metal + polymer 3D printing moving toward production. |
| Metal Cutting | New machine-tool models, bigger envelopes, faster spindles, multitasking. |
See exactly what's launching on the official IMTS exhibitor directory, and browse the machine classes on our machine-type planner.
Official show site: imts.com · Dates: September 14–19, 2026 · Venue: McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois.
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