CHICAGO -- The International Manufacturing Technology Show set up shop today after a four-year break stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
For exhibitors and visitors, it was an opportunity to observe advancements in machine tools, robots, and 3D printers.
“I feel like I’m in Disneyland,” said Lonnie Love, corporate fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn. “I just want to ride all the rides.”
IMTS normally is held every other year at Chicago’s McCormick Place. But COVID-19 forced the 2020 edition of the event to be canceled.
“It’s been terrible,” Love said of the gap between shows. “This is a great place to network.” IMTS, he added is a place “to get excited about manufacturing.”
IMTS is organized by Virginia-based AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology.
Having IMTS back “is just cool,” Douglas K. Woods, AMT’s president, said shortly before today’s official opening.
“People set their clocks to the technology that comes out,” he said.
AMT says IMTS accounts for 1.21 million square feet of space at McCormick Place, with 1,815 exhibitors. The event consists of nine technology pavilions.
Exhibitors have used this year IMTS to showcase new products. HP Inc. unveiled its HP Metal Jet S100 3D printer, which the company says is ready for regular production of parts. Universal Robots had the American debut of its new UR20 collaborative robot, which can reach 50 percent further and lift as much as 20 kg.
IMTS runs through Sept. 17.
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