SPE ACCE 2019 keynote announced

 

The executive planning committee for the SPE Automotive Composites  Conference & Expo (ACCE) has announced the event’s second keynote speaker. SPE ACCE will be held September 4 – 6, 2019 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich., U.S. 

Gulay Serhatkulu, senior vice president, Performance Materials North America, BASF Corp. (Wyandotte, Mich., U.S.) will present “Chemistry-Driven Composite Innovation – the Future is Now.” The presentation will outline the challenges facing composites solutions in the automotive industry and discuss what needs to happen to increase the adoption.  Serhatkulu will also highlight examples from BASF and how the company is using chemistry to drive composites innovation now and in the future.  

“Chemistry-driven innovations drive BASF technology advancements in automotive applications making BASF the #1 chemical supplier to the automotive industry,” says Serhatkulu. “Increasing desire for stronger, lighter, more sustainable material solutions can only be achieved with new chemistries together with creative product designs. This leads to a different way of working, bringing the company offering new chemistries and the part designer closer than ever before.”

In addition to daily keynote presentations, the three-day conference features approximately 80 technical presentations, 2-3 panel discussions, networking opportunities and over 100 sponsors with approximately 80 exhibiting advances in materials, processes and equipment for both thermoset and thermoplastic composites in a wide variety of transportation applications.

The Automotive and Composites Divisions of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE, Bethel, Conn., U.S.) jointly produce the ACCE to educate the industry about the benefits of composites in automotive, light and heavy-duty truck, off-highway vehicles and other ground transportation applications.   

The technical presentations (30 min. ea.) are organized into the following categories: Advances in Thermoplastic Composites, Advances in Thermoset Composites, Virtual Prototyping, Testing & Modeling, Reinforcement Technologies, Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing, Nanocomposites, Enabling Technologies, Sustainable Composites, Bonding, Joining & Finishing, Opportunities & Challenges with Carbon Composites, and Business Trends & Technology Solutions.

“Composites – Forming the Future of Transportation Worldwide,” is the theme for this year’s event reflecting the growing global interest transportation OEMs have in learning about the latest plastic composites technologies. The 2019 ACCE is co-chaired by Dr. Alper Kiziltas, technical expert, Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, Mich., U.S.P and SPE Automotive Div. vice-chair & education committee chair and Matthew E. Carroll, materials engineering, General Motors Company (Detroit, Mich., U.S.) and former SPE Automotive Div. chair.  

The technical program is co-chaired by Dr. David Jack, associate professor, Mechanical Engineering at Baylor University and Dr. Leonardo Simon, professor, Chemical Engineering at Waterloo University.