IMTS 2026 Preview: EOS M4 Onyx and a New Industrial AI Arena Headline the Show

AI, Automation, and Additive

IMTS 2026 opens September 14 at McCormick Place in Chicago, and the additive manufacturing lineup this year is more about production than prototypes. The show will cover 1.2 million square feet, host roughly 1,800 exhibitors, and draw more than 89,000 visitors, according to organizer AMT.

The biggest AM news is the North American introduction of the EOS M4 Onyx. The laser powder bed fusion system is built for industrial-scale metal printing with a 450 x 450 x 400 mm build volume and six 400 W lasers. EOS claims 50% higher throughput and 30% lower part cost than previous platforms, plus an RFS Pro filter system that cuts hazardous waste by up to 90%.

A Dedicated AI Stage

This is also the first IMTS with a serious AI footprint. The new Industrial AI Arena will gather 32 exhibitors focused on AI-driven manufacturing, while a full-day Industrial AI Conference will cover predictive maintenance, quality applications, edge versus cloud deployment, and data readiness. Sandia National Laboratories is also taking part.

AMT and exhibitors are framing AI less as a magic bullet and more as a practical layer over existing workflows. The goal is to show manufacturers how to move from small pilots to production use.

Why This Show Matters

The numbers back up the optimism. U.S. manufacturing technology orders hit $2.19 billion through the first four months of 2026, up 28.9% year over year. Manufacturing labor productivity rose 3.2% in the first quarter while output grew 3.3% with no increase in hours worked.

That productivity bump is exactly what AM vendors want to hear. If factories are already squeezing more output from the same labor, they may be willing to invest in additive where it genuinely speeds up delivery or removes tooling bottlenecks. IMTS 2026 will be the sales floor where that argument gets tested.