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Fabtech 2026

Registration open now for this year's event in Vegas


Manufacturers are weighing hard decisions around labor, automation, and production capacity. At FABTECH 2026, you can see the technology behind those decisions in action on the show floor.


Registration is now open for North America's largest metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing event. More than 1,400 exhibitors—covering a 700,000 square foot expo floor—and approximately 31,000 attendees will gather Oct. 21-23 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas. Exhibitors will demonstrate the equipment, automation systems, and production technologies manufacturers are evaluating right now.




Here are four stories "taking shape on the show floor" according to a recent e-mail from Fabtech.


Shop Modernization and AI

The question is no longer whether manufacturers should modernize, but whether they can afford to. Automation, robotics, AI, and connected manufacturing systems are becoming operational requirements, even as many shops weigh the cost of new equipment against ongoing labor and production pressures.

 

Pavilions: Welding, Automation, Finishing, AI in Manufacturing

 

What you'll see:

  • Robotic automation systems operating alongside welding and fabrication equipment

  • Miller Electric and OTC Daihen demonstrating robotic and collaborative welding technologies

  • AI-powered manufacturing tools and software featured within the new AI in Manufacturing pavilion

  • Automation technologies designed to help smaller and mid-sized shops increase productivity without adding labor


Reshoring Is Real but Uneven

Reshoring is happening, but it's concentrated among larger players. With raw-material costs projected to rise about 4.4% in 2026, smaller shops face the hardest squeeze. FABTECH brings together the technologies and suppliers shops are using to weigh those decisions.

 

Pavilions: Forming & Fabricating, Job Shop, Stamping & Press Automation

 

What you'll see:

  • Exhibitors demonstrating sourcing and quoting technology designed to help manufacturers navigate procurement and supplier decisions

  • Domestic startups and smaller fabricators building visibility in the Forming & Fabricating and Job Shop pavilions

  • Cost-reduction and throughput-focused forming, stamping, and press systems featured throughout Stamping & Press Automation


Defense, Aerospace, and Energy Demand

A $1 trillion-plus aerospace backlog, sustained defense spending, and growing demand tied to data-center construction are driving fabrication demand, much of it concentrated in the Western U.S. With metal fabrication projected to grow at a 5.2% CAGR, manufacturers are looking to expand capacity and improve precision without slowing production.

 

Pavilions: Welding, Automation, Tube & Pipe

 

What you'll see:

  • TriMech demonstrations featuring SOLIDWORKS, industrial 3D printers, and scanning technologies used across aerospace and defense applications

  • Horn Machine Tools showcasing CNC tube and pipe benders alongside fiber-laser tube cutting systems

  • ViewTech Borescopes offering hands-on remote visual inspection demonstrations

  • ESAB Welding & Cutting Products demonstrating high-amperage plasma cutting systems used in structural steel and heavy fabrication environments


The Skilled Labor Gap and Automation

Manufacturers are short an estimated 400,000 workers, and new entrants to the industry are not keeping pace. The automation on this floor isn't replacing people; it's covering jobs that are sitting open.

 

Pavilions: Welding, Automation, Job Shop

 

What you'll see:

  • Universal Robots cobot welding systems integrated with Vectis Automation and Hirebotics platforms

  • Lincoln Electric's Cooper collaborative welding robot

  • Hands-on demonstrations of Lincoln Electric's VRTEX welding training simulators



 
 
 

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