SAMPE 2008 preview

Billed as “the world’s largest advanced materials conference and exhibition,” the SAMPE Symposium and Exhibition returns to its home base in Long Beach, Calif., this month after an East Coast stint last year in June in Baltimore, Md. SAMPE officials say the organization’s 53rd annual U.S. trade event, slated for May 18-22, 2008 at the Long Beach Convention Center, could attract more than 250 exhibitors and 5,000 attendees.

Sponsored jointly by SAMPE’s Utah (U.S.) and Japan chapters, this year’s Symposium celebrates the theme, “Material and Process Innovations: Changing Our World.” The conference program begins with two keynote presentations, one by a member of each sponsoring chapter. The Japan chapter’s keynoter will be Dr. Takashi Ishikawa, director of the Aviation Program Group within the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Following Dr. Ishikawa’s address, the Utah chapter’s keynote speaker will be Peter Huntsman, the president and CEO of the Huntsman Companies (The Woodlands, Texas and Salt lake City, Utah).

Symposium highlights

Conference attendees will choose from 46 technical sessions, each featuring multiple presentations based on technical papers that will be published in the conference proceedings. In keeping with its “innovations” theme, SAMPE will reprise last year’s popular nanotechnology “conference within a conference.” Once a popular feature of its Fall Technical Conference, the nanotechnology “track” has become a key feature of the Symposium. This year, it will include a half-day tutorial (separate fee) and five technical presentations during regular sessions as well as a special panel discussion entitled, “Nanotechnology — the Path from Development to Commercialization.” See the items marked in red in “SAMPE at a Glance” (on facing page). Although nanotechnology offers materials en-gineering at the molecular level, result-ing in greater design freedom, higher performance, lower weight and cost, and other advantages in composites, a number of factors have slowed commercialization of nanocomposites. These include the lack of standards for incorporating nanoscale materials into conventional composite processes, the absence of a database for nanocomposite performance, the still high cost of na-nomaterials in small volumes, and health and safety concerns related to handling nanomaterials. Panel moderator Max Lake of Applied Sciences Inc. (Yel-low Springs, Ohio) and panelists Dr. Lawrence Drzal (Michigan State University), Dr. Ken Smith (Carbon Nanotechnologies Inc., Houston, Texas), Dr. Suraj Rawal (Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colo.) and Dr. Joseph Koo (University of Texas at Austin) will examine these and other issues that must be addressed if composites manufacturers are to realize the perceived advantages offered by nanotechnology.

On May 18-19, preconference tutor-ials will provide participants with the “basics” in 11 subject areas. These will include an introduction to composite materials and topical offerings, such as testing; design, analysis and FEA modeling; and adhesive bonding.

During panel discussions interspersed throughout the three-day event, invited experts will gather to deal with a variety of topics of special interest. On Tuesday, SAMPE’s newest Fellows (officially inducted at the 26th Fellows Banquet on Monday evening) will provide an overview of the technologies for which they were elected to the honorary group. Each new SAMPE Fellow will offer a presentation, with time afterward for audience/panelist interaction.
Panelists/inductees are Dr. Klaus Drechsler, University of Stuttgart; Dr. Clem Hiel, Composite Support and Solutions Inc.; Clark Johnson, The Boeing Co. (retired); Dr. James Leslie, ACPT Inc.; and Prof. Toshio Tanimoto of Shonan Institute of Technology.

Moderators Tia Benson Tolle and George Schmitt of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL, Dayton, Ohio) will lead a program review and panel discussion of AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate (MMD), which provides aerospace materials and manufacturing leadership for the U.S. Air Force (USAF). During this session, MMD director Dr. David Walker will outline his vision of advanced materials for the USAF and new directions AFRL will take in materials development.

SAMPE also will host the 2008 Composite Material Handbook 17 (CMH-17) seminar. New and expanded content in the volumes on Metal Matrix Composites and Ceramic Matrix Composites will be discussed, and attendees will hear a status report on the preparation of a new volume entitled Sandwich Composites. Experts from CMH-17 leadership will make presentations in the seminar, including a review of the statistical methods used and considerations for specialized applications, which require unique approaches to data development. The CMH-17 seminar fee is $200, which covers handouts and a CMH-17 membership for 16 months, allowing the attendee access to the Handbook’s member’s-only Web site.

On Tuesday, May 20, a panel based on the Symposium theme will be moderated by Steve Rodgers, SAMPE International vice president and the director of R&D for EDO Fiber Science (Salt Lake City, Utah). Designed for those who are trying to anticipate the future of composite technology development, this panel discussion will include presentations by each panelist, outlining the ways M&P innovations are likely to impact the presenter’s segment of the industry. Segments will include aerospace, ground transportation, infrastructure and spacecraft. The presentations will be followed by an open forum, during which attendees may pose questions to the panelists.

Wing & Bridge competitions

Participation in SAMPE’s 11th Annual Bridge Building Contest and 4th Annual Super Light Weight Composite Wing Contest will be limited to engineering students this year. Always a highlight of the activities at the SAMPE event, the bridge and wing competitions are conducted “live” before an enthusiastic audience on the show floor. Testing will be done on May 20, 2008.

Registration options

SAMPE is offering several avenues for show/conference preregistration this year. Prospective attendees may submit registration forms online, using SAMPE’s Secured Registration Process at www.sample.org.  After the form is completed, the submitee can print out a confirmation notice, which will include a barcode that, when it is scanned at the show registration desk on site in Long Beach, will expedite service when attendees pick up badges and conference tickets.

For an additional $25, registrants can use the following options:
Phone: (626) 331-0616 x610 (7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Pacific time, Monday through Friday, using a credit card).
Fax: Fill out the registration form and fax to (626) 332-8929, 24 hours a day, making payment via credit card.