FABTECH 2026 will return to Las Vegas for the first time since 2016 at a moment when manufacturers are weighing where to place the next round of spending on automation, capacity expansion and sourcing strategies. According to the event material, the show will take place October 21-23 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and will give attendees direct exposure to technologies tied to automation, robotics, artificial intelligence and precision manufacturing.
The scale outlined by organizers points to a broad supply and technology mix. FABTECH is expected to attract more than 31,000 attendees and 1,400 exhibitors across more than 700,000 square feet of exhibit space spanning 40 product categories. The stated emphasis is on live equipment demonstrations and expert discussions, allowing visitors to evaluate systems in operation rather than through static displays alone.
Automation for welding and production support is one of the main themes. The material cites an estimated industry shortfall of 400,000 workers, based on the American Welding Society, and links that gap to growing urgency around automation investments when open positions remain unfilled. Planned demonstrations include robotic welding, collaborative robots and AI-powered manufacturing solutions, alongside the debut of the AI for Manufacturing pavilion focused on software and tools enabled by AI.
Named exhibitors include Miller Electric and OTC Daihen for robotic and collaborative welding technologies. Universal Robots will have cobot systems integrated with Vectis Automation and Hirebotics running on the floor. Lincoln Electric is set to show its Cooper collaborative welding robot and VRTEX welding training simulators. On the precision and capacity side, TriMech will feature SOLIDWORKS, industrial 3D printers and scanning technology, while Horn Machine Tools will display CNC tube and pipe benders and fiber-laser tube cutting systems. ViewTech Borescopes plans remote visual inspection demonstrations, and ESAB Welding and Cutting Products will present high-amperage plasma cutting in operation.
The material also points to stronger demand from aerospace and defense, citing S&S Insider, and adds data-center construction in the western U.S. as another driver. At the same time, tariffs and supply-chain pressure are described as factors pushing manufacturers toward sourcing closer to home. The text further cites a 7% year-over-year rise in raw-material costs for major sectors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and a 20% increase in metal prices since the start of the year from the World Bank Group.
Against that backdrop, FABTECH positions its Forming and Fabricating and Job Shop pavilions as platforms for domestic startups and smaller fabricators seeking visibility. For shops and buyers, the event’s practical value is the ability to compare how welding, forming, machining, finishing, inspection and software can be combined to support capacity growth, productivity and domestic sourcing decisions.
