Rochester Hills-based FANUC America will unveil a lightweight collaborative robot and AI-powered manufacturing demonstrations at IMTS 2026, the largest manufacturing technology show in the Western Hemisphere.

The company plans to debut the CRX-3 iA collaborative robot, which weighs just 11 kilograms and handles a 3-kilogram payload, at the show running Sept. 14–19 at McCormick Place in Chicago. FANUC will also introduce the R-50 iA Compact DC Controller, built for collaborative robots mounted on autonomous mobile robots. It runs on 24V to 48V DC battery power, eliminating the need for a separate inverter.

"Manufacturing is entering a new era where Physical AI enables robots to see, reason and act in real-world production environments …" FANUC America President and CEO Mike Cicco said in a company announcement.

Physical AI, which allows robots to perceive surroundings and perform tasks without step-by-step programming, is central to the company's booth. FANUC developed demonstrations with Google Cloud, NVIDIA and Amazon Web Services (AWS). One demo built with Google Cloud shows AI agents interpreting handwritten instructions and directing robots to identify and gather parts for manufacturing jobs.

A separate demonstration will use natural-language voice commands to generate Python code that programs robots on the fly. NVIDIA's Isaac Sim software will power a live digital twin of a robotic spot-welding application linked to FANUC's ROBOGUIDE simulation tool.

Beyond robotics, FANUC will show three next-generation ROBODRILL DC Series machining centers. The largest, the D116CS, expands its cutting range to handle electric vehicle instrument panels. A new P-55 paint robot and an M-810 robot performing wet machining complete the hardware display.

The trade show presence comes as FANUC America continues to expand in Michigan. In March, the company announced a $90 million investment to build a new 840,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the state, expected to add 225 jobs. Since 2019, FANUC America has invested nearly $300 million in new facilities and created more than 700 U.S. jobs, according to that March announcement.

More than 1,800 exhibitors are registered for IMTS 2026 across 1.2 million square feet of floor space. FANUC's booth number is 338900. The new Michigan facility is targeted for completion in late 2027.