IMTS 2018: This Year’s Show Promises the Latest in Machining and Metalworking

IMTS 2018 kicks off on Sept. 10 and runs through Sept. 15. Read why industry decision-makers attend year in and year out—and get a better sense of the pavilions and conference sessions to attend. Also, learn why you need a plan and strategy for seeing exhibitions and booths of all sizes.

The International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago may only happen every two years, but its importance for exposing companies of all sizes to new machining, new tooling options and best practices in productivity cannot be understated. Since 1927, the show has been an important bellwether of industrial innovation. It is the largest manufacturing show in America, averaging over 100,000 visitors from more than 110 countries—and over 1.3 million square feet of show floor.

At the last IMTS in 2016, 115,612 industry attendees experienced over 2,400 company exhibitions, demonstrations and conference sessions. IMTS is a great way to see many unique manufacturing technologies and techniques on display over a few days in one central location. It’s also about making new business contacts and discovering the best manufacturing practices in your industry segment.

Find out must-know Chicago info before you go. We share details about transportation, the convention center, sightseeing, dining and more. Read "IMTS 2018: Things to Know Before You Go" to learn more. 

Are you a job shop looking to expand into aerospace? Looking to retool your shop with the latest in carbide cutters or want new ways to recycle or reuse your metalworking fluids? Ready to network your machines and collect production metrics in new ways? All of this and much more will happen at IMTS 2018.

A gigantic show with thousands of vendors and a huge show floor to walk can be daunting. There is a lot of machining and tooling to see, many peers to swap shop stories with and new company representatives to meet. Yet, IMTS’ impact has more of a lasting effect than tired feet. According to data The Association for Manufacturing Technology tracks, 86 percent of attendees say they “are successful in finding specific products or solving manufacturing problems.” And overall, 95 percent say they are satisfied with exhibits they visit.

“The biggest challenge right now is just to stay on top of technological advances,” says Tom Hoban, an operations manager for the machine shop JTD Enterprises, in an interview with The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which runs the IMTS show. “Every two years things change so drastically, whether it is tooling or just general technology. It’s always worth the trip to see what’s new and exciting in this industry.”

IMTS 2018: Conference Sessions

The IMTS Conference includes four “technical deep-dive” days of roughly 70 sessions from major tooling vendors and manufacturing specialists. Sessions vary from dispelling metal additive myths to improving spindle time with the right workholding to advanced grinding in aerospace. There is much to learn this year. Registration is required.

IMTS is also where Modern Machine Shop will announce and award its “Top Shops” in manufacturing for 2018—which is an excellent source of information about peers who are excelling in manufacturing operations and employee satisfaction. These awards go beyond picking a few elite companies, though: Detailed surveys help capture trends and isolate the successful characteristics of manufacturers that perform and profit.

What do these characteristics look like? Read “What Does It Take to Be a ‘Top Shop’ in Manufacturing?”

Be sure to plan ahead and get there early so you do not miss a beat. To help you and your team organize your time and days, it might make sense to use the IMTS “MyShow Planner” that AMT has provided.

Using Technology to Help Reduce the Impact of the Skills Gap

One way companies use IMTS to their advantage is to get their employees involved in finding new technologies that they believe will help their job—and help overall productivity metrics. The benefit? Employees feel more connected to the work itself—even if it means more automated processes.

“I tell them to look for something that’s going to improve their lives so they can work smarter, not harder,” says Rick Hoffman, CEO of EIMCo, in an interview with AMT. “Usually it’s some kind of automation, and they get excited about it. When they have that level of control and satisfaction, they are more likely to stay with us.”

Take note: Experienced IMTS attendees advise newbies to have a plan about what they want to see, but also to have a floor-walking strategy so they don’t miss anything of importance and talk to exhibitors of all sizes and in all parts of the show floor. Hoffman, for example, sends a busload of employees to IMTS, but only after having a strategy of what they can focus on seeing—and only after he has spent two days there on his own. He’s a big believer in making sure not to skip the smaller booths just because they’re not as flashy or large—so he always goes to the corners of every floor. This year, he and his team will be checking out robotic automation, optical scanners and automated gauging.

“I can check out a new technology and then walk a few feet to another booth and see what the competition is doing,” Hoffman tells AMT. “All that information is in one area where I can evaluate the options side-by-side. Rather than flying across the country, I walk across an aisle. It saves us valuable time and money.”