CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/546021
AUGUST 2015 28 CompositesWorld SHOW PREVIEW » Composites remain a hot topic in the automotive industry as OEMs scramble to meet tough new fuel efciency and/or tailpipe emissions standards that will come into full force in many parts of the globe in 2025. Any technology that can reduce mass and systems costs, improve durability and crash performance, eliminate secondary operations and enhance styling fexibility stands a good chance of beating out benchmark steel and more costly aluminum. Terefore, it's not surprising that attendance continues to grow at the Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) orga- nized by the Automotive and Composites Divisions of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE, Bethel, CT, US). Now in its 15 th year, the event returns Sept. 9-11 at the Diamond Center at the Suburban Collection Showplace (Novi, MI, US) in the Detroit suburbs. Last year's exhibition spilled out of the main Diamond Ballroom into Hall C, where lunch was served and the student poster and parts competitions were held, so this year, event orga- nizers have moved all exhibits, meals and cofee breaks to that much larger space. So far, that seems to be a good decision: SPE reports that previous records for sponsorship dollars and the number and size of exhibits already have been broken — many exhibits will be larger this year owing to the additional room. To keep walking time between exhibits/food and session rooms short, all sessions will run either in the Diamond Ballroom (where keynotes and panel discussions also will be held) or the adjacent Emerald/Amethyst room. Automotive composites remain a hot topic in the Motor City. SPE'S ACCE 2015 Preview Tech program: Slightly more compact but equally strong One of the perennial strengths of the SPE ACCE is that it covers a broad array of materials and process technologies - from injection molded short-glass thermoplastics to autoclave-cured thermosetting carbon fber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) and nearly everything in between. Although the 2015 technical papers list, at CW press time, was a little shorter than those of the past few years (77 regular papers, compared to 81 in 2014 and 90 in 2013), this year's lineup continues SPE's tradition of breadth as well as depth of topic. Although sessions on polymers per se are smaller than in recent years, there is a large Enabling Technologies session on processing and equipment developments, with a strong showing in resin transfer molding (RTM) tech- nologies, including high-pres- sure RTM, thermoplastic and surface RTM, and even cast- polyamide RTM. A standalone Bonding, Joining & Finishing session (last held in 2008) returns this year with talks on selecting surface flms to improve adhesion between fabric and substrates, using By Peggy Malnati / Contributing Writer Room for growth Organizers of SPE's Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) expect growth in attendance again this year as the annual event returns to the spacious Diamond Center at the Suburban Collection Showplace in the Detroit suburbs. Source (Diamond Ctr. Photo) SPE / Photo | Pam & Mike Brady Source (sign photo) | Teri Chouinard