MCLEAN, VA – Registration is now open for IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show 2018.

Manufacturing professionals across the globe will gather at Chicago’s McCormick Place, Sept. 10-15.

As of January, 1,803 exhibitors have secured a total of 1,307,230 square feet of exhibit space, which is ahead of the previous show numbers (1,455 exhibitors occupying 1.27 million square feet) at this time.

"With the U.S. manufacturing sector expanding at its fastest pace since 2004 and capital equipment investment likely to follow, we anticipate that IMTS 2018 will be one of the busiest shows ever," says Peter R. Eelman, vice president of exhibitions and business development at The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which produces IMTS.

Eelman notes that the December 2017 Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) registered 59.7%, an increase of 1.5 percentage points from the November reading of 58.2%, which is well above the PMI of 50 that indicates economic expansion. Further, U.S. cutting tool consumption continued to grow year-to-date in November 2017, showing gains of 8.2% compared to the same point in 2016 according to data compiled by the latest Cutting Tool Market Report, a collaboration between AMT and the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute.

"In a growing economic environment, more manufacturers attend IMTS," says Eelman. "To stay competitive, they know that there is no better place to research new technology, find productivity-enhancing solutions, evaluate vendors and connect with industry leaders than at IMTS."

Expanding Venues

IMTS 2016 was the third largest in number of registrations (115,612) and in net square feet of exhibit space (1,370,256). This show hosted the highest number of exhibiting companies ever (2,407). Anticipating a stronger show in 2018, IMTS worked with McCormick Place to expand exhibit space, including securing E Hall (see Floor Plan).

Located on Level 2 of the East Building, E Hall has been a successful part of IMTS’s history, providing easy and prominent visitor access and steady, fluid traffic throughout the show. For IMTS 2018, E Hall will house the Machine Components/Cleaning/Environmental Pavilion and Tooling & Workholding Annex.

"Historically, the Tooling & Workholding Pavilion was located in E Hall for many years, so IMTS veterans will feel right at home with its ‘new’ location for IMTS 2018," says Eelman. He notes that the East Building and its Halls open one hour earlier than the South, North and West Buildings. E Hall offers visitors direct access from registration (next to the E Hall entrance), as well as from shuttle bus drop-off areas.

For IMTS 2018, Hannover Messe USA and its four co-located shows will expand into the E Hall. New for IMTS 2018, Hannover Messe USA will feature a digital factory display.

Because of its rapid growth, the Additive Manufacturing Pavilion has been relocated to the West Building and will include a second Additive Emerging Technology Center (ETC). The original AMT Emerging Technology Center will remain at the entrance to the North Building. For IMTS 2018, Modern Machine Shop’s (MMS) Top Shops and Today’s Technology Center (TTC) will flank the ETC, creating an emerging and top technology destination in one of the show’s most prominent locations.

For more information, visit imts.com.