📞 1-800-555-1337 [email protected]
Exhibitor Login Press About SMCA
SheetMetalCON '26 Caesars Forum · Las Vegas
August 6–9, 2026 · Caesars Forum

Program Schedule

Four days. Six tracks. 200+ practitioner-led sessions covering the full spectrum of the metal forming trade. Plan your agenda below or download the printable PDF.

Tracks Plenary 100 · Fabrication 200 · HVAC 300 · Coatings 400 · Automation 500 · Workforce 0 · Members Only
Day One

Thursday, August 6

Opening Day · Welcome & Foundations
7:30 AM90 minutes
Registration
Badge Pickup & Continental Breakfast
Lanyards, badges, swag bags, and the year's first cup of coffee.
Forum Promenade
9:00 AM75 minutes
Plenary
Opening Keynote: Bending Boundaries — Three Decades of Metal Forming Innovation
Geoff Mosswell, Founder & Chief Strategist, Forge Works Coalition
Forum Ballroom
10:30 AM75 minutes
Track 100
Hack the Plate: Advanced Single-Sheet Stamping for High-Mix Shops
Dr. Linda Kreuzer, MasterFab Industries
Forum 414
Track 200
2026 Energy Code Compliance for Commercial Ductwork
Marcus Hwang, P.E., SMACNA Standards Committee
Forum 1057
Track 400
Pwning Cycle Time: Lean Press Brake Operations at Scale
Janelle Ortiz, Director of Ops, Apex Bending Solutions
Forum 2600
Track 500
Social Engineering the Hiring Pipeline: Recruiting Gen Z to the Trades
Tomás Reilly, Workforce Director, Iron & Steel Institute
Forum 0x90
12:00 PM90 minutes
Networking
Lunch on the Exhibit Floor · 1,300+ Vendor Villages Open
Lunch boxes available throughout the floor. Stop by the Solder Village for hands-on stations.
Caesars Forum Hall
1:30 PM75 minutes
Track 100
Reverse Engineering Legacy G-Code: Modernizing Pre-2010 Toolpaths
Dr. Priya Subramanian, NumeriFab Software
Forum 414
Track 300
DEFCON Coatings: Mil-Spec Surface Hardening for Defense-Sector Bids
Col. Walter Pruitt (Ret.), Pruitt Defense Coatings
Forum 1057
Track 400
Hardware Hacking 101: Diagnosing Legacy CNC Controllers Without the Vendor
Eli "Spoolboy" Jaeger, Independent Reliability Consultant
Forum 2600
Track 500
Birds of a Feather: Independent Job-Shop Operators Roundtable
Open discussion. Chatham House Rules. Roundtable format, capped at 30 participants.
Boardroom 0x90
3:00 PM75 minutes
Track 100
Lockpicking Standards for Industrial Tool Cribs & Material Cages
Diana Klemmer, Klemmer Security Hardware
Forum 414
Track 200
Phreaking the PLC: Network Hardening for Programmable Controllers
Rashid Boateng, OT Security Lead, Continental HVAC
Forum 1057
Track 400
Red Team / Blue Team: Adversarial Quality Auditing in High-Volume Production
Kira Hollenbeck & Sam Underwood, Lockheed Industrial QA
Forum 2600
4:30 PM60 minutes
Industry Panel
Whose Slag Is It Anyway? Liability, Subcontracting & the Modern Supply Chain
Panel: Five industry GCs moderated by Eleanor Vasquez, Editor-in-Chief, The Fabricator
Forum Ballroom
6:00 PM3 hours
Reception
Welcome Reception in the Octavius Ballroom
Open bar (sponsored by TRUMPF), heavy hors d'oeuvres, live music from the Reno Brass Quintet.
Octavius Ballroom
8:00 PMuntil late
Off-site Event
Toxic Barbeque · Sunset Park · Shuttle Buses from Forum Promenade
Annual community cookout, open to all badge holders. Sponsored by Lincoln Electric. Bring layers — desert nights are cool.
Sunset Park
Day Two

Friday, August 7

Deep Dives · Hands-On Workshops · Vendor Floor
8:00 AM60 minutes
Networking
Friends of Bill W. — Recovery Meeting · Coffee & Continental Breakfast
Open to all attendees. No badge required.
Forum 311
9:00 AM75 minutes
Track 100 Keynote
The 0-Day Inventory: Just-in-Time Sheet Stock in a Volatile Tariff Era
Margaret "Sully" Sullivan, COO, ContinentalSheet Holdings
Forum 414
Track 400 Keynote
Two-Factor Stamping: A New Approach to Inline Quality Control
Dr. Hiroshi Tanaka, R&D Director, Mazak Optonics
Forum 2600
10:30 AM90 minutes
Track 100 Workshop
Soldering Village: Hands-On Tin/Lead vs. Lead-Free for HVAC Joints
Bring your own iron. Practice boards provided. Limit 24 participants.
Forum 414
Track 200
Beyond the Perimeter: Securing Your Shop's Network-Connected Equipment
Aimee Voss, OT Practice Lead, Industrial Defense Group
Forum 1057
Track 300
Encryption Standards for Customer Specs & Proprietary Drawings
Roberta Galvez, JD, Galvez & Park IP
Forum 414B
Track 500
Badge Engineering: Custom Conference Identification & Shop Floor Access
Petra "Wirewolf" Adesina, Custom Credentials Co.
Forum 0x90
12:00 PM90 minutes
Networking
Lunch on the Exhibit Floor · Vendor Demonstrations All Hour
The Wall of Sheet Metal demo runs continuously at the Capture-the-Plate booth — bring an unmarked sample for live grade ID.
Caesars Forum Hall
1:30 PM75 minutes
Track 100
Pyromaniac's Guide to Plasma Cutting: Edge Quality at 200 IPM
Carlos Mendoza, Hypertherm Applications Engineering
Forum 414
Track 200
The OPSEC of Bid Security: Protecting Your Proposal Information
Vincent Park, Park Risk Advisors
Forum 1057
Track 400 Workshop
Hack the Box: Material Identification Challenge — Live Competition
Identify mystery samples by composition, finish, and provenance. Cash prize for fastest correct ID set.
Forum 2600
3:00 PM75 minutes
Track 100
BSides Forming: Independent Practitioner Showcase & Lightning Talks
Twelve five-minute talks from the shop floor. Voted on by the audience. Winner gets a free '27 pass.
Forum 414
Track 300
I Am The Cavalry: Industrial Safety Coalition Annual Meeting
Open to all members and prospective members of the IATC industrial-safety working group.
Forum 1057
Track 500
Owning the Floor: Lights-Out Manufacturing & the Shifting Role of the Supervisor
Lena Whitmore, VP Operations, Continental Sheet
Forum 0x90
6:00 PM2 hours
Affinity Reception
DCG (Defense Coatings Group) Member Meetup & QueerCon Allies Reception
Concurrent receptions on the mezzanine. Both open to all badge holders.
Forum Mezzanine
9:00 PMuntil 1 AM
Sponsor Event
Bystronic After Dark · Live DJ, Open Bar, Custom Cocktails
Badge required. 21+. Sponsored by Bystronic Group.
Octavius Ballroom
Day Three

Saturday, August 8

Competitions · Strategy · Closing
9:00 AM90 minutes
Plenary
Industry Outlook 2027: Tariffs, Tooling, and the Talent Cliff
Panel of seven CEOs moderated by Dale Ferguson, Senior Editor, FabShop Magazine
Forum Ballroom
10:30 AM90 minutes
Track 100
Capture-the-Plate Competition · Semifinal Round
Eight teams, eight unmarked plates. Identify alloy, gauge, finish, and likely origin. Live-scored on stage.
Forum 2600
Track 300
Powder Coating Beyond Aesthetics: Adhesion Science in 2026
Dr. Adaeze Okonkwo, IFS Powder Solutions
Forum 414
Track 500
Kid-CON Family Day: Sheet Metal STEM for Ages 6-12
Hands-on bending and decorating activities for the children of attendees. Pre-registration required.
Forum 1057
1:30 PM90 minutes
Track 0 · Members Only
The Skytalks Forum: Off-the-Record Industry Strategy
Strict no-recording, no-press, no-phones policy. Pre-vetted attendees only. What is said here, stays here.
[REDACTED]
3:00 PM75 minutes
Competition Final
Capture-the-Plate Grand Final · Live on the Main Stage
Two finalist teams. Sudden-death rounds. The winning shop takes home the SheetMetalCON Black Caliper Trophy.
Forum Ballroom
4:30 PM60 minutes
Plenary
Closing Keynote: The Family Reunion — On Community, Continuity, and the Next Thirty Years
Geoff Mosswell, Founder & Chief Strategist, Forge Works Coalition
Forum Ballroom
7:00 PM3 hours
Reception
Awards Banquet & Industry Hall of Fame Induction
Black tie optional. Plated dinner. Cash bar after 9:00 PM. Pyrotechnic display at 10:00 PM at the Forum Plaza fountain.
Octavius Ballroom
Day Four

Sunday, August 9

Closing Ceremonies · Plant Tours · Goodbyes
9:00 AM90 minutes
Plenary
Closing Ceremonies: Awards, Acknowledgments & The CFP for SheetMetalCON '27
Outgoing volunteer recognition. Speaker thank-yous. Submission portal opens for next year's call for presenters.
Forum Ballroom
11:00 AM3 hours
Optional Field Trip
Plant Tour · Las Vegas Light Manufacturing Cooperative
Bus departs Forum Promenade at 11:00 AM sharp. Closed-toe shoes & long pants required. Limit 60 attendees.
Off-site (Bus departs Promenade)
1:00 PM90 minutes
Networking
Farewell Networking Lunch · Open to All Badge Holders
Light buffet. Last chance to swap cards before next year. See you in '27.
Forum Promenade
Schedule subject to change. Final session details printed in your conference badge holder at registration.
For questions, contact [email protected] or text the program desk at 1-800-555-1337.
No phones. No recordings. No press. The Forum is sacred.