Labelled as the largest display and demonstration of global manufacturing technology in the western hemisphere, the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) is scheduled for its 30^th edition at Chicago's McCormick Place. Manufacturing industry professionals from all over the world attend IMTS to see more than 15,000 new machine tools, controls, computers, software, components, systems and processes that can improve their efficiency. They gain valuable ideas and insights from over 1,100 of the world's leading equipment producers.

The show theme for 2014 is ‘Come Together' and is a call to action for senior manufacturing professionals from more than 119 countries to interact at IMTS and see the latest technology to get ideas and find answers to their manufacturing problems and challenges.

Reflecting the strength of manufacturing in the world economy, early results on participating exhibitors and exhibitor floor square footage contracted are both ahead of the IMTS 2012 pace at 1,117 (a 23 percent increase) and 1.151 million net square feet (an 8 percent increase) respectively.

Pavilions

To help guide visitors around the vast exhibits and find their areas of interest quickly and easily, IMTS is organised into nine pavilions. The Abrasive Machining/Sawing/Finishing Pavilion will feature technology for applications that require high tolerance and precision surface finish including grinding technology, as well as sawing and cut-off machines and a variety of finishing technologies, such as lapping, balancing, honing and polishing machines.

The Controls & CAD-CAM Pavilion will offer the world of custom automation and the latest software needed to extract the maximum efficiency from machine tools to optimize plant operations and cost efficiency. In the EDM Pavilion, everything from CNC wire EDM equipment to die sinking machines can be found by manufacturing professionals in the tool and die industry and especially those who specialise in one-off or specialty components.

The Fabricating/Laser/Additive Pavilion is devoted to showcasing the latest technology in fabricating, metal forming, laser and waterjet-based machining and additive manufacturing, along with displays of welding, metal treating and marking equipment.

The Gear Generation Pavilion is devoted to gear cutting, forming and finishing, as well as broaching, shaping and slotting machines and will spotlight traditional applications such as auto, construction, mining and ship-building, plus the emerging alternative energy and wind power sectors.