IMTS 2026 adds AI, additive manufacturing and investor conferences

IMTS is moving additive manufacturing out of the novelty corner and into the machinery of production planning. At McCormick Place in Chicago, the Sept. 14 to 19 show will use nine conferences and more than 90 sessions to frame 3D printing alongside automation, systems integration, metrology, tooling, software and cost justification, not as a standalone spectacle.

The clearest signal is the new IMTS Industrial AI Conference, a full-day event on Sept. 16 aimed at what AMT calls reality-based AI knowledge for manufacturers. That sits beside the main IMTS 2026 Conference, which will run 69 sessions across topics that matter when parts have to move from model to machine to inspection: automation, artificial intelligence, systems integration, machining, materials, tooling, workholding, metrology, alternative manufacturing, software and cost justification. AMT also plans a dedicated AI Arena, and says exhibitors across all 10 technology sectors will show AI used for toolpath generation, scheduling, uptime analysis, vision systems, inspection and supply-chain resilience.

For additive manufacturing, that is the bigger story than any single machine launch. IMTS is not treating AM as a separate island anymore. The show will combine additive manufacturing with subtractive machining in the South Building, with the Additive Manufacturing Sector accelerated by Formnext. That floor placement matters because it puts printed parts, hybrid workflows and finishing under the same roof as the shop-floor technologies that decide whether those parts are actually viable in production.

The scale backs up the message. AMT says IMTS 2026 will draw more than 86,000 registrants and 1,800 exhibitors across 1.2 million square feet. In April 2025, AMT said more than 1 million square feet had already been booked and 85% of booth space was filled, while several exhibitors were taking larger footprints.

The conference calendar also shows where manufacturing is spending its attention. The IMTS Job Shops Workshop, Dia de América Latina en IMTS and the AM+ Workshop: Aerospace & Defense are all set for Sept. 15, along with the IMTS Investor Summit, which AMT says will help demystify the estimated $65 billion manufacturing technology industry. The ELEVATE Conference, powered by AMT and the Women in Manufacturing Association, follows on Sept. 16. AMT’s own comparison point is telling too: IMTS 2024 covered 1,226,523 square feet, featured 1,737 exhibitors and drew 89,020 registrants from more than 110 countries.

The takeaway for 3D printing is plain. IMTS 2026 is building additive manufacturing into the same workflow conversation as AI, scheduling, inspection and software integration. That is not trade-show packaging. It is where industrial printing priorities are heading.