IMTS 2026, the largest manufacturing technology show in the Western Hemisphere, runs Sept. 14-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago and will feature more than 1.2 million square feet of exhibition space and more than 1,800 exhibitors.
McLean, Va. (April 2, 2026) — The manufacturers at the center of the $2.95 trillion U.S. manufacturing economy will find the core technologies and machines they need to accelerate production at IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show. IMTS 2026, the largest manufacturing technology show in the Western Hemisphere, runs Sept. 14-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago and will feature more than 1.2 million square feet of exhibition space and more than 1,800 exhibitors.
Manufacturers visiting IMTS invest billions of dollars, and the community overall represents a total U.S. and foreign investment of $10.5 trillion (see Figure 1). These manufacturers, as well as machine shops representing $37.1 billion in output, attend IMTS to find solutions that enable them to complete faster, transition efficiently from one job to the next, and boost competitiveness in dynamic global markets. IMTS offers the Western Hemisphere’s largest exhibition of machine tools – the foundational technology required to make other machines and components – and features the world’s leading providers of CNCs for milling, turning, grinding, drilling, tapping, facing, gear-cutting, and more in its technology sectors.
At IMTS 2026, new multitasking, multifunction, hybrid manufacturing, and 5-axis machining centers will be introduced by Okuma America Corp. (booth #338500), Index Corp. (booth #339119), Tsugami America (booth #339410), Mazak (booth #338300), Matsuura Machinery (booth #338630), Haas Automation (booths #338100, #338884, #432212), JTEKT (booth #338700), Marubeni Citizen-Cincom (booth #339419), DN Solutions (booth #338919), and others.
“The exhibitors at IMTS can help you stretch beyond your current capabilities, and now is a great time to take advantage of new opportunities in technology,” says Douglas K. Woods, president of AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which owns and produces IMTS. “When you look at manufacturing technology orders, productivity gains, capital investment, and foreign direct investment flowing into North America, the momentum behind U.S. manufacturing is very real.”
“IMTS also showcases how AI, software, automation, and other digital solutions advance the capabilities of machine tools and other foundational technologies,” says Travis Egan, chief revenue officer of AMT. “U.S. companies outcompete other regions through their willingness to innovate and adopt new technology faster.”
One shop taking advantage of technology and IMTS is Marathon Precision, a 60,000-square-foot machine shop in Wheeling, Illinois.
“You can’t go anywhere else and see as much technology as you can at IMTS. For the week of the show, IMTS is the largest, most advanced shop in the world,” says Marathon Precision owner Michael Bauer. “If you buy technology before anybody else and get good at it, chances are you can win new business.” At IMTS 2024, Marathon purchased a Matsuura (booth #338630) MAM72-52V 5-axis CNC and a Haas machining center (booths #338100, #338884, #432212), both with pallet feed systems.
“The quality of the equipment directly impacts the quality of the part,” says Jim Belosic, founder and CEO of SendCutSend, an on-demand manufacturing company specializing in custom sheet metal and CNC machining with three U.S. locations. “By investing in the best-of-the-best CNC and fabrication equipment, we’re able to produce better parts faster, with fewer defects and less postprocessing, which ultimately lowers costs and improves reliability for our customers.”
Manufacturing Momentum
Woods cites government support for American manufacturing, recent economic data (2025 was the first year manufacturing technology orders grew since 2021), and market opportunities as reasons for his enthusiasm.
“The government is encouraging reshoring and manufacturing technology investment with policy changes and tax code enhancements, such as by reinstating 100% bonus depreciation and doubling the Section 179 small business expensing cap from $1.25 million to $2.5 million,” he explains. “The machines and technology at IMTS enable manufacturers to turn favorable economic conditions and investment incentives into growth strategies for their business.”
“Manufacturing demand continues to expand across aerospace, defense, medical, energy, and advanced infrastructure, such as data centers,” says Michael Huggett, president and CEO of Index Corp. (booth #339119). “This growing demand arrives hand in hand with increased product complexity, tighter lead times, and ongoing skilled labor constraints. For many manufacturers, the focus has shifted from simply securing work to ensuring they have the capability, capacity, flexibility, and efficiency to deliver it.”
Advancing Productivity
“When we think of finding solutions at IMTS, we automatically think of a particular machine tool, but what we really need to meet today’s challenges is the mindset of multitasking,” says Tim Thiessen, vice president of sales at Okuma and also a member of the AMT Show Committee. “The most efficient shops are those with machining centers that bring multiple processes or multiple steps together and make them work as one.”
At IMTS 2026, Okuma will launch its Multus U1000 and U2000 multitasking machines, and Index will debut its Index G160 multitasking machine. By completing complex parts in a single setup, manufacturers can eliminate secondary operations while improving accuracy and consistency. These new, advanced mill-turn centers feature the capabilities of larger systems in a more compact footprint, enabling shops to increase capabilities within their existing walls. Both machines offer full 5-axis interpolation for machining complex contours and driven tools for all machining tasks in C, Y, and B axes.
Okuma will also feature its new LT2000 EX, a twin-spindle turning center in the 6-inch chuck class. With the ability to combine the upper and lower turrets with either spindle, users can complete the greatest amount of primary and secondary machining possible in one compact platform. Index will also showcase the MS24-8 CNC multi-spindle. With eight spindles and modern setup efficiency, this machine combines high-output capability with the flexibility manufacturers need to remain competitive in changing markets.
For multitasking applications that require grinding, the new Mazak Integrex i-350S Neo includes a main and second turning spindle and a milling spindle headstock to integrate turning, milling, and, for the first time, grinding in one setup. The main and second turning spindles operate at 4,000 rpm, while the compact milling spindle comes standard as 12,000 rpm and optional 20,000 rpm for high-speed machining of aluminum and small diameter machining.
To improve the productivity of existing lathes, consider advances in bar feeders. Edge Technologies (booth #338440) Executive Vice President Rick Bauer notes that technologies such as auto-adjustment to accommodate different bar sizes and short loaders support low-volume, frequent changeover, and short-batch production.
“To unlock a lathe’s full capabilities, RS (revolutionary sliding) technology positions the bar feeder to be much closer to the back of the spindle to minimize the transition zone and address the ‘jump rope’ effect between machines,” Bauer says. “Some shops are running 3/4-inch bar stock at 10,000 rpm in non-guide-bushing mode, a 15% rpm improvement.”
Investment in Action
As an example of equipment investment, consider Multi-axis Technologies, based in Kent, Washington, which purchased a Taiwan Takisawa TM-2000Y2 (Yamazen, booth #338536) multitasking CNC at IMTS 2024.
“The TM2000Y2 machine is equipped with a dual turret, which allows us to reduce overall cycle time and setup time on the parts,” says co-owner Jay Simpson (read story).
To enable more cutting uptime, also consider supporting technologies such as pallet pools, bar feeders, and automated/robotic part handling. Marathon Precision lead production engineer Michael Foy initially envisioned the pallets holding the same part for longer unattended run times, but he found the biggest advantage for his high-mix, low-volume operation was having different workholding solutions assigned to a pallet.
“If you have a really complicated job that repeats every three months, you can leave that pallet set up so you don’t have to spend hours on alignment,” says Foy. “Pallets unlock hidden value.”
To connect with the leaders, technologies, and insights defining the future of advanced manufacturing and the U.S. industrial economy, register for IMTS 2026. Explore more technologies, exhibitors, and features at IMTS.com. Achieve the impossible on Sept. 14-19, 2026, at McCormick Place in Chicago.
