From Clearwater to Chicago: Five Days Inside the Beating Heart of Manufacturing
The cameras had barely cooled down after filming at ALIGN Precision in Clearwater when the suitcases were zipped, the batteries were recharged and the airport once again began calling my name.
Next stop: Chicago for IMTS 2026.
If you have never attended IMTS, imagine placing several million pounds of machinery inside one building, inviting the smartest and most wonderfully obsessed people in manufacturing, adding enough caffeine to power a small country, and then asking everyone to see it all before their feet file for divorce.
That is IMTS.
This year was particularly special because I was joined by Ixchel Velázquez—a trilingual industrial engineer, educator and technical leader who brings far more than another microphone to the team. She speaks Spanish, English and German, holds a master’s degree in industrial engineering and a doctorate in education, and has led engineering and manufacturing teams across multiple countries.
I could tell stories. She could dissect the engineering behind them. Together, we were ready to attack McCormick Place—or at least walk confidently until neither of us remembered which building we were in.
Monday: coolant, data, cutting tools and flashlights
We began the week with QualiChem, discussing something every machine shop purchases but not every shop fully understands: coolant.
Coolant is not colorful water poured into a machine because somebody found a half-empty drum near the loading dock. It affects tool life, surface finish, corrosion protection, biological stability, machine cleanliness and the health of the people working around it.
The right coolant—and the right partner behind it—can improve an entire process. The wrong one can become an expensive swamp with a purchasing order attached.
From there, we moved to Datanomix, where the conversation shifted from what flows through the machine to the information flowing out of it.
Datanomix helps manufacturers see what their equipment is actually doing: when machines are cutting, when they are waiting, how jobs are progressing and where time is disappearing. Most shops do not suffer from a shortage of data. They suffer from data being trapped inside controllers, spreadsheets and handwritten notes that look like they were completed during an earthquake.
Production intelligence turns those scattered signals into conversations people can act upon.
Next came DIAMETAL, a company that understands difficult machining is rarely solved by throwing another “universal” cutting tool at the problem and hoping the material develops better manners.
We discussed micro tools, advanced cutting materials and the importance of working with technical partners who are interested in removing manufacturing headaches—not merely selling another box of carbide. Complicated applications require application knowledge, patience and the willingness to investigate why a process is failing.
Monday concluded with Murata Machinery, and they managed to turn manufacturing education into something visitors could build, touch and take home.
Across four Muratec machines, attendees watched different flashlight components being produced, collected the pieces, assembled their own working flashlight and had their names engraved on it.
It was brilliant.
Instead of placing automation behind velvet ropes and asking visitors to admire it from a safe distance, Muratec invited people into the experience. The flashlight became a physical lesson in process flow, machining, automation and assembly.
They did not merely talk about Automation for All.
They allowed people to carry it home in their pockets.
Tuesday: machines of every size—and solutions in real time
Tuesday began with Hurco, Takumi and Milltronics, where accessibility remained one of the strongest themes.
Advanced machining technology should be powerful, but power becomes far more valuable when people can actually use it. Milltronics continues to offer machines that can help job shops, training programs, toolrooms and production manufacturers step into CNC technology without requiring operators to decipher the control like an ancient stone tablet.
Hurco and Takumi added another layer of capability, giving shops paths into versatile machining, higher-performance applications and more advanced production strategies.
Then we stepped into one of the most ambitious collaborative areas at the show: MODIG, IBARMIA, LiCON and SECO Tools.
These companies brought very different strengths into one space.
MODIG represented high-speed machining and production strategies designed to remove enormous amounts of material efficiently. IBARMIA brought flexible machining platforms capable of tackling large and complex parts. LiCON showed the value of high-productivity machining systems, while SECO brought the cutting-tool knowledge necessary to turn impressive machine specifications into actual chips.
But the most compelling idea was not simply displaying the machines.
Visitors could bring their prints, discuss a difficult component and begin developing a manufacturing solution—potentially within an hour.
That is how trade shows should work.
A customer does not arrive with a problem labeled “spindle speed.” They arrive with a part that costs too much, takes too long, requires too many operations or has been keeping an engineer awake at night since February.
Bringing multiple technologies and experts together transforms the booth from a showroom into a temporary manufacturing think tank.
Our next stop was SPINNER, which gave this journey a satisfying full-circle moment.
Only weeks earlier, we had visited JASPER Engines & Transmissions in Willow Springs to document its investment in SPINNER CNC technology. Now, in Chicago, we were able to continue that story at the SPINNER booth and explore the broader machine portfolio behind that investment.
It was another reminder that our work is not a collection of disconnected videos. The stories travel with us. A machine seen at a trade show may become the centerpiece of a factory transformation months later—and a customer investment can lead us back to the people who designed and supported it.
Tuesday finished with MC Machinery, where machining, EDM, laser technology and automation came together beneath one enormous technology umbrella.
Processes that were once isolated are increasingly becoming connected parts of a larger production strategy. Milling creates the geometry. EDM reaches features conventional cutting tools cannot. Lasers cut, shape or process materials with remarkable control. Automation keeps everything moving after the humans have gone home to locate their missing lower-back muscles.
By Tuesday evening, we had collected hours of footage, countless conversations and approximately nine years of steps on our phones.
And we were not even halfway finished.
Wednesday: controls, EDM, grinding and one very small machine making very big noise
Wednesday brought us back to Hurco and Takumi, this time with special attention on the latest evolution of Hurco’s WinMax control.
A CNC control should shorten the distance between an idea and a finished component. It should help the operator program, verify, adjust and produce parts without turning every setup into a hostage negotiation.
The next generation of WinMax represents Hurco’s continued focus on making sophisticated machining more approachable. Ease of use does not mean removing capability. It means allowing more people to access that capability.
From Hurco, we moved to United Machining Solutions, focusing on its machining centers, EDM systems and laser technologies.
This is where manufacturing begins to look like science fiction with a purchase order.
High-performance milling, wire and sinker EDM, laser texturing and micromachining give manufacturers multiple ways to create geometries that conventional processes cannot easily reach. Tiny features, delicate surfaces, intricate cavities and complex textures stop being drawings everyone avoids opening and become solvable production challenges.
Next came Okamoto, where grinding took center stage.
Grinding may not always receive the same attention as five-axis milling or laser technology, but when tolerances tighten and surfaces must become nearly flawless, grinding walks into the room, removes its coat and quietly reminds everyone who finishes the job.
Okamoto’s expertise spans surface, form, rotary, internal, cylindrical and universal grinding. These machines live in the final fractions of accuracy, where a small mistake can erase every good decision made during the previous operations.
We concluded Wednesday with CHIRON and the remarkable Micro5.
The Micro5 is compact enough to make some traditional machining centers look like they have been overeating, yet it is designed for precise five-axis production of small, intricate components.
And the market apparently understood the message.
The machine displayed at IMTS sold on the first day.
That sale said more than any brochure could. Manufacturers are looking for intelligent ways to produce small parts with less energy, less floor space and less unnecessary machine mass. Not every precision component requires a machine large enough to have its own zip code.
By the end of Wednesday, my voice had begun submitting formal complaints to management.
Unfortunately for my vocal cords, management was also me.
Thursday: partnerships stronger than booth walls
Thursday began with my family at JTEKT.
Over the years, I have been fortunate to visit manufacturers using JTEKT and WELE machines across the United States. At IMTS, we continued exploring how machine quality, technical support and long-term partnerships shape the confidence of the companies investing in them.
A machine sale may begin with specifications, but the relationship begins after installation. Service, applications knowledge, training and responsiveness determine whether an impressive machine becomes a productive asset or a very expensive place to set a coffee cup.
Then we returned to Murata Machinery.
Yes, again.
Some booths deserve a second visit, particularly when they are demonstrating multiple machining and automation concepts while hundreds of people attempt to manufacture personalized flashlights.
Muratec continued reinforcing that automation is not reserved for enormous companies producing one part until the sun burns out. Modern automation can also support job shops, changing production demands and high-mix environments.
Our next stop brought us back to Datanomix, continuing the discussion about production visibility and the human side of manufacturing data.
Software should help departments communicate. It should reveal problems early, give operators useful feedback and allow leadership to make decisions using reality rather than the daily production horoscope.
Data without action is simply digital wallpaper.
The real value appears when teams use that information to improve scheduling, reduce downtime, identify opportunities and create a common language between the shop floor and the front office.
Thursday concluded with Liebherr, where we stepped into a world extending far beyond the machines many people immediately associate with the name.
Liebherr’s capabilities touch gear manufacturing, automation, aerospace, earthmoving equipment, cranes, mining, material handling and some of the largest industrial systems on the planet.
Their booth reminded us that manufacturing does not happen in neat little boxes. Gear technology supports mobility. Automation moves batteries and components. Precision equipment builds the systems that construct cities, move earth and keep global infrastructure operating.
By Thursday evening, we were exhausted—but grateful.
Every team opened its booth, welcomed our cameras and trusted us to tell its story. Those relationships cannot be measured in booth size or badge scans.
They are built over years, one honest conversation at a time.
Friday: toolholding, cutting tools and cleaner air
Friday began with REGO-FIX, a company that has become an important part of many stories we have filmed around the world.
From aerospace components and medical implants to moldmaking, micro-machining and difficult materials, we have repeatedly seen the same lesson: the cutting tool cannot perform beyond the stability of the connection holding it.
Precision toolholding influences runout, vibration, surface finish, tool life and process reliability. When tolerances become microscopic and carbide prices keep climbing, “almost good enough” becomes an incredibly expensive philosophy.
REGO-FIX and its powRgrip system have appeared throughout our travels because manufacturers continue trusting that connection for demanding work.
Next came HUFSCHMIED, where Ixchel’s experience and relationships brought another level of technical depth to the conversation.
HUFSCHMIED specializes in cutting tools for challenging materials and applications—situations where geometry, coatings, edge preparation and process knowledge matter far more than selecting something from page 437 of a catalog and praying.
This was also a chance to celebrate what Ixchel brought to the entire week.
Her engineering background, leadership experience, three languages, education and ability to connect naturally with people made every interview stronger. She could move from a deeply technical discussion to an engaging presentation without losing the audience—or requiring subtitles from another planet.
Our final filming stop was Aeroex, where we focused on something every machine shop creates but nobody wants to breathe: mist, smoke and airborne contamination.
A machine shop may produce beautiful parts, but the air should not look like the opening scene of a 1980s rock concert.
Effective filtration protects people, improves the working environment, reduces residue inside the facility and helps companies demonstrate that productivity and employee health belong in the same conversation.
We had originally planned to finish at Siemens, but IMTS schedules occasionally behave like five-axis toolpaths programmed by caffeinated squirrels. Time disappeared, the show floor won, and we did not make that final stop.
That is the honest reality of covering IMTS.
You begin the week with a beautifully organized schedule. Then conversations run long, interviews uncover unexpected stories, hallways stretch mysteriously overnight and someone inevitably says, “While you’re here, you have to see this.”
Sometimes the best moments are the ones that destroy the schedule.
More than a trade show
Across five days, we filmed coolant, cutting tools, toolholding, production intelligence, CNC machines, EDM, grinding, lasers, automation, metrology, filtration and technologies capable of producing everything from microscopic components to massive industrial systems.
But the machines were only part of the story.
IMTS was about the people willing to explain why a technology exists, the engineers solving problems nobody sees, the machinists turning theory into finished parts and the companies trusting us to carry their stories beyond McCormick Place.
It was also about partnership.
Ixchel and I moved through the show as a team—learning, filming, laughing, occasionally becoming geographically confused and continuing forward even after my voice packed its bags and left Chicago without me.
To QualiChem, Datanomix, DIAMETAL, Murata Machinery, Hurco, Takumi, Milltronics, MODIG, IBARMIA, LiCON, SECO Tools, SPINNER, MC Machinery, United Machining Solutions, Okamoto, CHIRON, JTEKT, Liebherr, REGO-FIX, HUFSCHMIED and Aeroex—thank you.
Thank you for the access.
Thank you for the knowledge.
Thank you for welcoming our cameras.
And thank you for helping us show the world that manufacturing is not an industry hiding in yesterday.
It is designing, measuring, machining, grinding, automating and building tomorrow.
We arrived in Chicago with cameras, microphones and an ambitious schedule.
We left with tired feet, a wounded voice, hundreds of stories and even more respect for the people who machine the unseen that moves the world.
IMTS 2026 is over. The storytelling is just beginning.
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