Now I Understand Why It’s a Big Deal

I did it. I finally got to see what FABTECH® is all about. I’m a copywriter for the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International®, (FMA) and I’ve worked for FMA for a little over a year. FMA is one of five event partners that makes FABTECH happen. If you work in the metal fabrication industry, experiencing FABTECH is a pretty big deal.

FABTECH is a big deal because it’s North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing event. To give more perspective on just how big it is, over 48,000 industry professionals and 1,700 exhibiting companies were there.

Leading up to FABTECH, coworkers filled me in on all the things I could expect there… lots of walking, lots of people, including impressive keynote presenters, and a whole lot of the latest machines demonstrating some very cool technologies. So as you can imagine, I was pretty excited to get a glimpse of this $137 billion industry in one convenient place.

FABTECH was held at McCormick Place in Chicago. Driving there from a suburb was a breeze… just kidding. Traffic was a nightmare. Once I got there though, there was so much to do and see! It’s kind of like trying to visit all the shops and restaurants at an international airport in one day — there’s a lot of ground to cover.

Luckily, my boss showed me the ropes by walking with me through the different exhibit halls: Forming & Fabricating, Tube & Pipe, METALFORM, Welding, Finishing, 3D/Additive Manufacturing, and Robotics & Industrial Automation.

All of the automated machines were fascinating. The robots were so impressive and a little scary! Many of them were programmed to showboat for attendees. They moved very quickly, sometimes just inches from people that were watching from the other side of the exhibit glass.

The fully automated laser welding machines also had my full attention. I watched an entry-level machine rapidly and precisely cut through sheets of metal effortlessly, like it eats metal for breakfast.

The welding hall was super cool! Seeing welders in action and getting to be “Queen of the Metal Castle” when I posed for a picture on the oxy-torch throne was well worth all the walking.

Later in the day, I was able to wind down at Industry Night where I enjoyed great conversations, tasty food, and libations with coworkers and other industry professionals.

All in all, my first time at FABTECH did not disappoint and I’m looking forward to FABTECH 2020 in Las Vegas!