MachineToolNews.ai is proud to be a media partner for the IMTS Industrial AI Conference, a full day of practical, factory-focused AI education designed to help manufacturers turn artificial intelligence from an exciting idea into measurable manufacturing results.
Manufacturing is at an inflection point.
Artificial intelligence is no longer something manufacturers can afford to watch from the sidelines. AI is moving directly into CNC machining, quality inspection, maintenance, engineering, robotics, production planning, workforce development and the digital systems connecting the modern factory.
At IMTS (the International Manufacturing Technology Show) in Chicago manufacturers will have an opportunity to get much closer to the technology, the people developing it and the companies already putting it to work.
On Wednesday, September 16, the IMTS Industrial AI Conference runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m in the South Building, Room S401 abc. The conference is built specifically for manufacturers looking for practical, implementable AI strategies rather than another day of vague predictions about the future.
And this year, the programme is packed.
MTS Industrial AI Conference: Where Industrial AI Gets Real
The IMTS Industrial AI Conference is designed around a simple idea: manufacturers need to understand not just what AI can do, but where it can create value inside an actual manufacturing operation.
The programme addresses productivity, quality, maintenance, engineering, workforce transformation, robotics, CNC machining, CAD-to-part automation, physical AI and the data infrastructure needed to make these technologies work.
The conference opens with a 10:00 a.m. kickoff, followed at 10:05 a.m. by one of the day’s most important sessions.
10:05 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
How Manufacturers Can Identify High-Impact Opportunities While Avoiding Costly Implementation Mistakes
Dr. Jay Lee, is the Clark Distinguished Chair Professor and Director of the Industrial Artificial Intelligence Center at the University of Maryland
If there is one session that could help a manufacturer avoid wasting money on AI, this is it.
Dr. Jay Lee will focus on how companies can identify the opportunities where AI can deliver genuine business value while avoiding the implementation mistakes that can turn an exciting technology project into an expensive experiment.
The session addresses hidden productivity gaps, measurable baselines and the manufacturing industry’s “3B problem”: broken data, missing background information and missing baselines.
Lee will also demonstrate how manufacturers can monitor multiple CNC machines using low-cost edge AI devices and predictive, traceable Stream-of-Quality methodology.
For plant managers and manufacturing executives asking, “Where should we actually start with AI?”, this is the session to attend.
10:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Adaptive Cloud: Secure Data Management and AI Enablement
William Harding, Senior Azure Solution Architect, Microsoft
11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
In this session, William Harding, Senior Azure Solution Architect at Microsoft, will explore an adaptive cloud approach to managing that transformation at scale. The session will show how data from machines, production systems, and enterprise applications can be governed, normalized, and mapped into consistent information models without sacrificing security, ownership, or operational control.
The discussion will then connect these information models to practical AI enablement. When assets, processes, events, and relationships share a trusted semantic structure, AI systems can reason over manufacturing context rather than isolated signals.
Using AI To Dramatically Reduce the Design-To-Part Cycle Time
Sai Nelaturi, Co-Founder and CEO of C-Infinity
One of the biggest opportunities for AI in manufacturing is reducing the enormous amount of time between engineering intent and a finished part.
Sai Nelaturi will explore new approaches to reasoning about physical design characteristics and constraints and how these approaches can dramatically shorten the design-to-part cycle.
C-Infinity’s AutoAssembler AI works with CAD and PLM information to generate production-ready assembly instructions. The technology is designed to compress work that can traditionally take weeks into minutes, while also accelerating engineering changes for large and complex assemblies.
For manufacturers struggling with engineering bottlenecks, this is a powerful look at where AI can directly attack cycle time.
11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
How Employers and Training Programs Can Leverage the Work of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute To Prepare for AI-Enabled Manufacturing
Lisa Masciantonio, Chief Workforce Officer, Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute
AI is changing the machines, but it is also changing the people who operate, maintain, program and manage those machines.
Lisa Masciantonio will examine how employers and training organizations can prepare workers for an AI-enabled manufacturing environment.
The session will look at workforce needs, AI competency development and how training providers can help manufacturers build the skills required as robotics and AI become increasingly integrated into production.
This is critical because buying new technology does not automatically create a workforce capable of using it effectively. Successful industrial AI adoption depends on people, processes and organizational acceptance as much as it depends on software and hardware.
12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.: Lunch, Networking and More Manufacturing AI
The programme gives attendees time to connect, compare experiences and continue the conversation around the morning’s sessions.
For manufacturers, that networking opportunity may be just as valuable as the presentations.
Industrial AI is moving quickly, and one of the fastest ways to understand what is actually working is to talk to other manufacturers, technology developers and industry experts who are already testing these systems.
Then the afternoon programme gets even more practical.
1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Presenter: SpaceX
Michael Sulgrove
The programme brings SpaceX into the Industrial AI Conference with a dedicated presentation.
For manufacturers, aerospace is one of the most demanding environments in the world for production, quality, engineering and process control. A presentation from SpaceX gives attendees another opportunity to examine how advanced manufacturing organizations approach technology, data and production challenges at scale.
1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Practical Use Cases of AI in Manufacturing
Mehul Shah, Co-Founder and CEO of Ground Control
This is where the AI conversation gets particularly close to everyday manufacturing work.
Mehul Shah will present practical AI use cases focused on regulated manufacturing and quality operations.
Ground Control works with aerospace, defense and medical manufacturers on AI-assisted ballooning, AS9102 and FAIR generation and supplier-quality workflows.
The company says its technology can help manufacturers automate documentation and quality processes while keeping quality engineers in control of critical decisions.
The session will demonstrate where AI can accelerate real manufacturing workflows, including inspection and documentation, and where human expertise still matters.
For quality departments buried in paperwork, this could be one of the most immediately relevant sessions of the day.
2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Physical AI in Practice: Powering the Next Generation of Industrial Robotics with Multimodal Intelligence
Vishal Agarwal, Global AI Blackbelt, Google Cloud
Ravi Rajamani, Vice President, Engineering, Applied AI, Google Cloud
The conversation now moves from digital AI into the physical world.
Physical AI is becoming one of the biggest stories in manufacturing because it connects artificial intelligence directly to robots, machines and real-world environments.
Vishal Agarwal and Ravi Rajamani will examine how multimodal intelligence can power the next generation of industrial robotics.
For manufacturers already using robots, or considering their next automation investment, this session offers a look at how AI could push robotics beyond traditional programmed automation toward more adaptive systems.
2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
How Industrial AI is Enabling CAD-to-Part Autonomy
Tanmay Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Lambda Function
Imagine moving from a CAD model toward a manufactured part with significantly less manual intervention.
That is the opportunity behind CAD-to-part autonomy.
Tanmay Aggarwal will examine how industrial AI can automate parts of the CNC programming and manufacturing process, helping manufacturers move toward greater autonomy from digital design through production.
Lambda Function focuses on AI systems for CNC programming, machining optimization and CAD-to-part automation, with applications across aerospace, defense, automotive and industrial manufacturing.
For machine shops, this is a session that could have major implications for engineering productivity and the future role of CNC programming.
3:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Scaling DFM Best Practice with AI: A Case Study in EV Component Manufacturing
Jeremy Andrews, Co-Founder & CTO, CoLab
The final stretch of the conference continues the focus on practical manufacturing applications.
This session looks at how AI can be used to scale design-for-manufacturing best practices, with a case study focused on electric vehicle component manufacturing.
The topic is particularly relevant for manufacturers dealing with increasing product complexity, engineering changes and the need to identify manufacturing problems earlier in the product-development cycle.
3:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Bringing Industrial AI to the Machine Shop Floor with AWS and MachineMetrics
Steve Blackwell, Head of Product Engineering & Services CoE, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Rutherford Wilson, Chief Product Officer, MachineMetrics
For MachineToolNews.ai readers, this could be one of the most directly relevant sessions of the entire conference.
The focus is the machine shop itself.
AWS and MachineMetrics will look at how industrial AI can provide real-time machine visibility and predictive maintenance, including the ability to identify issues such as spindle degradation, bearing wear and other anomalies before they become unplanned downtime.
The session also examines the gap between what an ERP system schedules and what actually happens on the shop floor.
That is a problem virtually every production manager understands.
The objective is to show how connected machine data, manufacturing operations platforms and AI can help close that execution gap while giving operators, supervisors, planners and continuous-improvement teams better information for decision-making.
4:15 p.m. to 4:20 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Russ Waddell, Technology Advisor, AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology
The conference closes at 4:20 p.m., giving attendees the opportunity to take what they have learned directly onto the IMTS show floor.
This Is More Than an AI Conference
One of the strongest reasons to attend the Industrial AI Conference is what happens after the presentations.
You are already at IMTS.
The world’s manufacturing technology ecosystem is gathered at McCormick Place.
The conference registration includes full access to the IMTS exhibit halls for all six days of the show, as well as lunch and access to all Industrial AI Conference sessions. The current onsite conference rate is $500.
That creates an unusually powerful combination.
Spend the morning learning how to identify AI opportunities.
Hear how manufacturers are tackling quality, engineering, robotics and workforce challenges.
Learn how physical AI is changing automation.
See how AI can connect directly to CNC machine shops.
Then walk onto the IMTS floor and see the machines, robots, software, inspection systems, controls and digital technologies that can turn those ideas into reality.
Learn it. See it. Question it. Find the technology. Take it back to your factory.
The AI Conversation Has Moved From Theory to Implementation
The programme itself tells the story.
The day starts with the fundamental question of where AI can deliver value.
It moves into design-to-part automation.
It examines workforce preparation.
It brings in real manufacturing use cases.
It explores physical AI and intelligent robotics.
It looks at CAD-to-part autonomy.
It examines AI-enabled design-for-manufacturing.
And it ends with AI operating directly on the machine shop floor.
That progression is important.
Manufacturers do not need another conference filled with generic discussions about how AI will “change everything.”
They need practical answers.
What problem should we solve first?
Is our data ready?
Where can AI reduce cost or cycle time?
How can we improve quality?
Can AI help us get more out of our existing machines?
What happens to our workforce?
How do we move from a pilot to something that actually runs in production?
The IMTS Industrial AI Conference is built around those questions.
Why Manufacturers Should Be in Chicago on September 16
If you are a plant manager, manufacturing executive, CNC professional, engineer, quality leader, maintenance manager, operations executive, IT or digital transformation leader, this conference deserves a place on your IMTS agenda.
You will hear from:
Dr. Jay Lee, University of Maryland
William Harding, Microsoft
Sai Nelaturi, C-Infinity
Lisa Masciantonio, ARM Institute
Michael Sulgrove, SpaceX
Mehul Shah, Ground Control
Vishal Agarwal, Google Cloud
Ravi Rajamani, Google Cloud
Tanmay Aggarwal, Lambda Function
Jeremy Andrews, CoLab
Steve Blackwell, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Rutherford Wilson, MachineMetrics
And that is only the Industrial AI Conference.
The rest of IMTS gives you six days to explore the technologies and companies shaping the future of manufacturing.
Get Your IMTS Industrial AI Conference Ticket
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
10:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
South Building, Room S401-ABC
McCormick Place, Chicago
Onsite rate: $500
Registration includes all Industrial AI Conference sessions, lunch and full access to the IMTS exhibit halls for all six days.
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