COMPOSITESWORLD Expo is a major new North American trade show that includes an educational conference and a supplier exhibition, and is sponsored by COMPOSITESWORLD, the publisher of High-Performance Composites and Composites Technology magazines. 

The conference was held September 2-3, 2008 in conjunction with COMPOSITESWORLD Expo 2008, and focused on principles of design and manufacture of composite materials. There were two tracks.

The Introductory track introduces those familiar with traditional materials-engineering industries, such as metal working, to the properties of fiber-reinforced composites. Other principles covered include CAD/CAM design and manufacturing with composites and the fabrication processes that work best for various designs, including compression and infusion molding; resin transfer molding (RTM), vacuum-assisted RTM (VARTM), and light RTM (LRTM); prepreg with autoclave curing; and other consolidation processes.

The Advanced track began with an overview of FEA design and manufacturing software, such as CATIA and FiberSIM, and how it can be integrated into product development and tooling systems for advanced composite design and processing, including complex ply books, automated fiber placement (AFP) and automated tape laying (ATL) systems.

The event was held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, in Schaumburg, Ill.

Visit the web site for the post show report and next year's announcements:  www.compositesworldexpo.com.

For more information, contact Kim Hoodin, Tel.: (513) 527-8843; E-mail: contactus@compositesworld.com.