MACH 2026 — the UK's largest advanced manufacturing technology exhibition — runs 20–24 April 2026 at NEC Birmingham, organised by the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA). The event concentrates machine tools, cutting tools, automation, metrology, and additive manufacturing across four dedicated Knowledge Hubs, with major exhibitors including Yamazaki Mazak, FANUC, Universal Robots, Renishaw, and the UK's leading cutting-tool vendors.
MACH 2026 at a Glance: Four Knowledge Hubs
MACH 2026 organises its technical content around four dedicated Knowledge Hubs managed by specialist centres from the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, per the official MACH exhibition site: Automation & Robotics (Hall 18), Machining & Tooling, Additive Manufacturing, and a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) theatre. Each hub pairs live demonstrations with impartial expert advice from centres such as the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).
The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) organises MACH on a biennial cycle as the UK's central platform for machine tool and advanced manufacturing technology procurement decisions. Automate UK, the UK's specialist robotics and automation trade association, publishes event listings that function as an independent verification layer for which vendors are showing deployable systems.
Machine Tools, Software, and Metrology
Yamazaki Mazak is showing nine machines including the MPP 25 pallet automation system with 24-pallet storage for small-lot production, per the official MACH exhibition site. The company also highlights MAZATROL DX simulation software, which allows manufacturers to validate toolpaths and automation sequences before committing to physical setup.
CloudNC will demonstrate AI-driven CNC programming per MTDCNC's pre-show coverage — a software-layer entry targeting the UK manufacturing skills gap. Zimmer Group is showing integrated automation components — grippers, rotary units, and handling modules — per MTDCNC's coverage of the Zimmer partnership.
Renishaw's pre-show briefing focuses on measurement and process control systems that feed data back into machining decisions, reflecting the event's broader emphasis on digital factory integration.
Machining & Tooling Knowledge Hub
The Machining & Tooling Knowledge Hub is supported by Ceratizit, Iscar, Horn, Guhring, ZCC Cutting Tools, Seco, Kennametal, Kyocera, Europa Tools, MAPAL, and Mitsubishi — a cutting-tool vendor concentration uncommon outside dedicated tooling shows. The hub runs a seminar theatre on cutting tool strategies in parallel with live demonstrations on the exhibition floor.
Automation & Robotics in Hall 18
Cobots Online will bring two CoboTend mobile cobot cells paired with a Brother SPEEDIO U500Xd2-5AX 5-axis machining centre, demonstrating automated loading and unloading, per pre-show materials from the North West Aerospace Alliance. Universal Robots UR5e and UR10e arms will be on the stand, alongside a MiR250 autonomous mobile robot for internal logistics.
KUKA will provide live demonstrations in the Automation & Robotics Knowledge Hub, per the Automate UK event listing, focused on collaborative robot deployment for consistency and throughput improvements.
Airbus is presenting a robotic drilling system at Stand 18-449, powered by a FANUC M-800iA/60 robotic arm with integrated FANUC CNC control, per MTDCNC's pre-show report. igus will present its RBTX platform at Hall 18, Stand 440 — an online marketplace targeting SMEs and start-ups that connects robot arm manufacturers, component suppliers, and automation integrators, per Machinery World's pre-show coverage.
Sibling Event: GrindingHub 2026
GrindingHub 2026 in Stuttgart (5–8 May, organised by VDW — German Machine Tool Builders' Association) follows six weeks after MACH 2026. For UK shops invested in grinding operations alongside milling and turning, attending both provides a comprehensive view of European precision machining technology in a single quarter.
MACH 2026 Overview
MACH 2026 concentrates UK advanced manufacturing technology under one roof across four Knowledge Hubs — Automation & Robotics, Machining & Tooling, Additive Manufacturing, and CPD — with major machine tool, cutting tool, and metrology vendors on the general floor. The event runs 20–24 April at NEC Birmingham.
Sources
- MACH Exhibition — MACH 2026 Advanced Manufacturing Technologies
- MACH Exhibition — Knowledge Hubs
- MACH Exhibition — Mazak at MACH 2026
- Automate UK — MACH 2026
- MTDCNC — Airbus Showcases Robotic Drilling System at MACH 2026
- MTDCNC — CloudNC AI-Driven CNC Programming at MACH 2026
- MTDCNC — Zimmer Group Integrated Automation at MACH 2026
- North West Aerospace Alliance — Cobots Heading to MACH 2026
- Machinery World — igus Low-Cost Automation at MACH 2026
- Renishaw — Preparing UK Industry for the Future at MACH 2026
- ETMM Online — MACH 2026: Pioneering the Future of UK Manufacturing
