IMTS is a six-day show, Monday through Saturday, scheduled to be held September 9-14, 2024, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. The show is managed by the Association for Manufacturing Technology and hosted biannually in even-numbered years.

IMTS is an acronym that, since being renamed in 1990, has stood for International Manufacturing Technology Show. From 1927 through 1988, IMTS stood for International Machine Tool Show. It was changed to reflect the influence of additional technologies, such as welding, lubrication, and materials engineering.

A lot! McCormick Place, with more than 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space, is the largest convention center in North America and is like a city in and of itself. IMTS is the premier industry event that showcases the latest advancements in manufacturing technology. Attendees can see, hear, touch, and experience the industry’s latest advancements, including automated systems that integrate multiple functions and enable precision turning and milling that boosts productivity with existing staff — or even after workers have left for the day. If you’re attending IMTS, stop by booth #338500 and learn about the many ways Okuma automation systems are helping evolve the role of today’s modern machinist.

IMTS is where industry decision-makers — from engineers and C-suite executives to floor managers and machine shop owners and operators — come together to learn about and experience the latest manufacturing technologies that can elevate their business to the next level. Attendees (more than 86,000 people were at IMTS 2022) view IMTS as an opportunity to network with peers and plan their decision-making process of where they want to take their business in the coming years. They meet and talk to industry builders, creators, and sellers who can provide the extra little details you can’t always observe with a website or brochure.

Chicago is the fourth-most populated North American city, behind Los Angeles and just ahead of Toronto. Chicago earned its nickname — The Windy City — not because of its proximity to Lake Michigan but from an 1893 reference by a newspaper reporter who pronounced the city’s politicians were full of hot air. Five years later, in 1898, the Okuma Noodle Machine Co. began manufacturing noodle-making machines that would later serve as the foundation for the development of its industry-leading CNC machines, proving in both instances that something of lasting value will always stand the test of time.

The Magnificent Mile is a bustling commercial district downtown that includes the Chicago Water Tower — a machining marvel. You can visit the iconic Cloud Gate public sculpture, aka The Bean, in Millennium Park, or the nearby Art Institute of Chicago — home to some of the world’s most recognizable artwork. And if you appreciate artistry, you’ll also recognize the fine craftsmanship of hand scraping, which is an exclusive, meticulous practice that goes into each mating surface on every Okuma CNC machine.

The first IMTS was in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927 — nine years after Okuma started manufacturing the industry-leading lathes today’s shop owners and machinists know and trust. The show resumed and moved to Chicago following World War II; IMTS was suspended in 2020 because of the pandemic and returned in 2022.

The Chicago Bears host the Tennessee Titans in early NFL action on Sunday, September 8 at Soldier Field. The Chicago Cubs host a home MLB game at Wrigley Field on September 8, and the Chicago White Sox host home games September 9-15 (except the 12th).

While IMTS is truly an international forum and draws attendees from more than 115 countries, the Association for Manufacturing Technology coordinates efforts with its European counterpart, the European Machine Tool Industry Association (CECIMO), and that organization’s biannual manufacturing industry trade show, EMO, is hosted in Europe during odd-numbered years.