CHICAGO — IMTS 2014 broke records as the largest six-day show ever with114,147 registrants – that’s an increase of 14 percent since the 2012 show – and the fourth largest in IMTS' 30-year history. With more than 1.282 million square feet of exhibit space and 2,035 exhibiting companies, there were plenty of innovative manufacturing technology solutions for visitors to explore.

“During IMTS 2014 there was a universal vibe among exhibitors, visitors and even students, that manufacturing is now the place to be,” said Peter Eelman, AMT Vice President – Exhibitions and Communications.

Speaking of students, the Smartforce Student Summit almost doubled in size since 2012 with 17,767 elementary, middle and high school students in attendance.

“A major concern among manufacturers is building a community of workers to fill their needs now and in the future," said Eelman. "At IMTS, this was addressed beyond all expectations by the Smartforce Student Summit and captured the imagination of young people with the truly innovative technologies on display,”

The show also had a remarkable array of new and emerging technologies that are set to revolutionize the manufacturing world. These innovations, including digital data integration, automation/robotics, in-line quality assurance, additive manufacturing, and traditional equipment, offer solutions to all manufacturers who seek increased productivity and lower cost. Sold signs could be seen on many machines throughout the show.

Hydromat Director of Marketing Kevin Shults said, “We are ecstatic about the results we are seeing. We had a really good show in 2012 and this was even better. We sold a $1 million plus twin spindle machining center during the show and left with a large number of quality leads to carry us into 2015. The community really came together in a big way.” And that's only one exhibitor success story.

For more, visit www.imts.com.