14 Tips for Choosing a Cobot and Evaluating Cobot Suppliers at IMTS 2026

May 27, 2026 | Stephen LaMarca

Cobots and IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show are made for each other. Exploring cobots at IMTS 2026 is a smart strategy manufacturers can make. Hundreds of exhibitors will demonstrate a full spectrum of cobot, robot, and automated solutions designed for almost every action you can imagine, and some you can’t.  

Cobots can load/unload, pick, place, palletize, paint, inspect, weld, cut, sand, screw, bolt, press fit, glue, and more. Instead of replacing people, the best cobot deployments make your team more capable. They free skilled workers from babysitting machines so they can focus on higher-value tasks. 

“The biggest mistake fabricators make is evaluating cobots like static equipment,” says Zach Boyd, chief technology officer at Hirebotics (IMTS booth #236341). “You’re not just buying a robot arm. You’re buying into a software platform, a support ecosystem, and a vendor relationship.”