# IMTS 2026 Preview: Live Drone Production, the Industrial AI Arena, and More

- Show: [Manufacturing Happy Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour)
- Published: 2026-09-04
- Length: 16m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-04-imts-2026-preview-live-drone-production-the-industrial-ai-arena-and-more
- Listen: http://manufacturinghappyhour.com

## Summary

Chris Luecke previews IMTS 2026, highlighting Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s live drone production demonstrations and the new Industrial AI Arena. Mary Cecile 'MC' Neville of AMT discusses the show's expanded scope, including the focus on automation and AI, while Brandon Wegge of AMICSTL introduces a new nonprofit Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center in St. Louis designed to support small and medium manufacturers.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-04-imts-2026-preview-live-drone-production-the-industrial-ai-arena-and-more#t=0) Sponsor Read: Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
- [1:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-04-imts-2026-preview-live-drone-production-the-industrial-ai-arena-and-more#t=92) Introduction: Manufacturing Happy Hour and IMTS 2026 Preview
- [2:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-04-imts-2026-preview-live-drone-production-the-industrial-ai-arena-and-more#t=122) IMTS 2026 Highlights: ORNL Drone Production and Industrial AI Arena
- [7:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-04-imts-2026-preview-live-drone-production-the-industrial-ai-arena-and-more#t=463) Interview with MC Neville: IMTS Community and Floor Layout Changes
- [12:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-04-imts-2026-preview-live-drone-production-the-industrial-ai-arena-and-more#t=759) Interview with Brandon Wegge: AMICSTL and St. Louis Manufacturing Ecosystem

## Topics

- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence (company)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (company)
- AMT (company)
- AMICSTL (company)
- Mazak (company)
- Fanuc (company)
- Canametal (company)
- OpenMind (company)
- Shunk (company)
- Okuma (company)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-09-04-imts-2026-preview-live-drone-production-the-industrial-ai-arena-and-more. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Manufacturing Happy Hour.