In this episode of the Machine Tool Maniacs podcast, I sit down with Jonathan Dillehay, owner of 2SM Performance Products and Engine Trixs.

Jon originally had his sights set on freestyle motocross and competing at the highest level, but a serious accident and broken back forced him to change directions. CNC machining gave him a way to stay connected to the world of dirt bikes, two-strokes, and performance parts while building something of his own.

We talk about his early exposure to machining, learning the trade through job shops, buying his first tabletop CNC mill, and eventually building a garage machine shop producing motocross and go-ped performance parts.

Jonathan’s story is a good example of how CNC machining and manufacturing can become another outlet for the things you’re already passionate about, even when the original plan changes.

We also get into 2SM Performance, Engine Trixs, starting a small machine shop, CNC mills, reverse engineering parts, and growing a manufacturing business through the communities you already know.

In this episode of the Machine Tool Maniacs podcast, Will and I sit down ahead of IMTS 2026 to talk about what we’re actually expecting to see at the show — and whether trade shows like IMTS are still as valuable as they once were.

Machine tool builders continue to make massive investments in IMTS, while companies like DMG MORI have taken a different approach by putting more emphasis on private showrooms, technology centers, and direct customer experiences. With YouTube, livestreams, and online machine demos making new technology easier to see than ever, we talk about what still makes walking the IMTS floor valuable for machine shops and manufacturers.

We also get into where the real innovation in manufacturing may be happening right now. Are we going to see major changes in CNC machine tools themselves, or is most of the progress happening around the machine through automation, robotics, machine monitoring, inspection, software integration, and AI?

With defense, aerospace, reshoring, and domestic manufacturing continuing to grow, we also talk about whether those industries are starting to influence the technology machine tool builders are prioritizing.

And before we head to Chicago, we ask one simple question:

What would we have to see at IMTS 2026 to walk away thinking something in manufacturing is genuinely changing?

A straightforward pre-IMTS conversation about CNC machining, machine tools, automation, AI, defense manufacturing, and where the industry may be headed next.

AI isn’t just changing how we program parts anymore. It’s changing what shop owners and manufacturers can build for themselves.

In this episode of the Machine Tool Maniacs Podcast, Jon Cheney and I talk about how AI can be used to create tools that make a business more efficient, streamlined, and capable. We’re talking about building your own ERP systems, CRM systems, machine monitoring tools, internal databases, workflow tools, and other software designed around the way your shop actually operates.

The biggest shift is that you no longer need to be a programmer to start building these things. If you understand the problem you’re trying to solve, you can sit down with AI, talk through the process, refine the idea, and work your way toward a functional tool.

That also means AI isn’t just a young person’s game. Experienced machinists, shop owners, engineers, and manufacturing professionals may actually have one of the biggest advantages because they already know where the problems are. They know where time gets wasted, where information gets lost, and where existing software falls short.

If you choose to look at this technology as a tool instead of the boogeyman, manufacturing could be entering a pretty interesting Renaissance.

Tune into this episode of the Machine Tool Maniacs Podcast with Jon Cheney, and check out GenAIPI.org if you’d like to learn more or reach out to Jon directly.