JEC COMPOSITES 2008/Sampe Europe Preview
As the industry gathers in Paris, event organizers emphasize composites manufacturability and environmental responsibility.
By Staff | February 2008
When the 2008 JEC Composites Show opens April 1 for its traditional three-day run at the Paris Expo, in Porte de Versailles, Paris, France, show organizers, the JEC Group (Paris), expect 1,000 exhibitors to converge on the show floor again this year. Seventy percent of exhibitors will come from outside France, JEC predicts, adding that more than 25,000 people (representing exhibitors and visitors) gathered at the Paris Expo last year — 65 percent from outside France.
Noting that the industry has experienced 8 percent annual growth since 2002, JEC Group president/CEO Frédérique Mutel points out that five months before its opening, the Group’s 43rd trade event has seen a high registration rate for new exhibitors and an increase in the average stand surface area. Accordingly, JEC has incorporated 3,000m² (32,290 ft²) of additional space into its floor plan to accommodate growth, bringing the 2008 total to 43,000m² (about 462,850 ft²).
“Composite Design and Manufacturing” will be the show theme as JEC spotlights developments in R&D, analysis, engineering, design, CAD/CAM, simulation, prototyping, stereolithography, moldmaking, testing, nondestructive testing, process industrialization and nanocomposites. A key avenue for exploration of these themes, JEC’s User Forums, will gather composites experts from six applications sectors: marine, aeronautics, land transport, automotive, construction and natural fibers. Emphases, particularly in the latter, will include the environment, recycling and biocomposites. Noting that European end-of-life (EOL) vehicle directives stipulate that 95 percent of each vehicle must be recyclable by 2015, compared to the 85 percent requirement that went into effect in 2006, JEC officials anticipate that this year’s event will see a greater number of “green” exhibitors — suppliers of renewable plant-polymer resins and reinforcements derived from plant fibers.
JEC AWARDS PROGRAM
In its 11th year, the JEC Innovation Awards program again will honor technical achievements in the composites industry. Award categories this year will include Aeronautics & Space, Automotive & Vehicles, Construction & Equipment, Energy & Industry, Environment, Process, Sports & Leisure and Software. According to JEC, more than 950 composites manufacturers have been involved in the competition over the years. Through 2007, 77 competitors and their 295 development partners have been honored.
SAMPE EUROPE’S SEICO 08
A short distance from the Paris Expo, and beginning one day earlier than the JEC event, SAMPE Europe’s 29th International Conference and Forums (SEICO 08) will take place again this year at the Hotel Mercure Conference Center. “Composites Forever: Affordable, Durable, Sustainable and Creatable” will be the conference theme, as nearly 100 papers will be presented in 33 sessions.
Like the JEC event, SEICO will explore “green” themes. Keynoter J.-M. Berthier, for example, will speak about “Novel Green Technologies for Helicopters, a New Challenge for the Next Decade.” Of interest to CT readers, presenters in the “Recycling + Environment” session on day two will discuss the performance of fully recyclable, self-reinforced thermoplastics in automotive applications as well as biocomposites that feature both a natural fiber reinforcement and matrices derived from plant oils. On day three, a second session will feature papers on design and manufacturing strategies that minimize scrap generation (reducing disposal issues), the reuse of recycled carbon fiber in thermoplastic composites, and a paper detailing a silk fiber’s performance in a thermoplastic composite subjected to low-velocity impact. Several sessions will emphasize “Design + Engineering” issues, and significant emphasis this year also will be placed on technologies that monitor the health of composite structures, particularly “smart” systems that do so in real time. Additionally, sessions will update attendees on progress made in the development of high-performance nanocomposites as well as nanoenhancements for conventional systems.
As in the past, SEICO 08 attendees will have free access to the JEC show floor, and the offset dates for the two events will permit SEICO attendees to spend a full day at the JEC show after the SEICO program ends. SAMPE Europe is offering special preregistration rates, applicable to registration requests received on or before Feb. 29, 2008. From March 1, standard rates apply.
For more information about the 2008 JEC COMPOSITES Show, contact JEC, Tel.: +33 1 58 36 15 18, E-mail: visitors@jeccomposites.com; Web site: www.jeccomposites.com.
For more information about SEICO 08, contact the SAMPE Europe Business Office (SEBO), Feldenendstrasse 2, D-52449 Eschweiler (Aachen), Germany, Tel.: +49 2421 808 58 00; Fax: +49 2402 34 759; E-mail: sebo@sampe-europe.org; Web site:www.sampe-europe.org.
