IMTS 2026 draws 90,000 attendees, AM booths sit next to metal removal for the first time
IMTS 2026 in Chicago pulled over 90,000 attendees into more than 1.17 million square feet of exhibit space with over 1,700 exhibitors, according to 3DPrint.com’s walkthrough of the show. The additive manufacturing section sat in the South Building next to the metal removal area this year, rather than off in a side hall. As several attendees put it, additive is now treated as part of the regular manufacturing workflow rather than a side novelty.
Drones were the recurring hardware story. EOS said it printed polymer components for 20 mission-ready drone bodies for Adler Aerospace’s Glaive Attack Drone, built for the DoW’s Drone Dominance Gauntlet II challenge. Phillips Federal gave EOS a turnaround measured in days rather than weeks, and EOS says it printed 180 parts in just over 12 hours. EOS also printed Nylon 12 body and motor pod parts for Quantum Systems’ Counter-UAS Interceptor, which launches on a solid-fuel booster and reaches 4,000 meters in 30 seconds; EOS says Quantum plans to attempt a Guinness World Record for drone speed later this month. A separate demo piece with InfinitForm software hit 0.4 mm wall thickness and 0.8 mm rib thickness on an EOS printer.
HP showed a Multi Jet Fusion demo drone with 0.4 mm walls, and said its internal drone team grew from two people to over 25 in four years. HP customers cited include The Eye Above (anti-poaching drones in South Africa), blueflite (FAA-certified blood delivery drones), Xmobots in Brazil (deforestation monitoring), and an unnamed Taiwan customer monitoring tuna populations.
FormAlloy showed a multimaterial DED blisk that grades powder blends in more than one direction, and said it moved into a new 24,000-square-foot facility in 2026 alongside new defense contracts.