Airtech
Published

SAMPE 2010 Seattle Preview

New decade, new venue, new economy, new M&P opportunities.

Share

The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering’s (SAMPE) Spring Conference and Exhibition returns this year to the West Coast after its second East Coast appearance in Baltimore. But it’s not returning to its traditional home base in Long Beach. Instead, SAMPE 2010 will be held for the first time in Seattle, Wash., a key base of operations for aerospace manufacturing giant The Boeing Co. and near many U.S. and Canadian M&P suppliers in the Pacific Northwest. SAMPE organizers say they expect as many as 300 exhibitors and 5,000 total attendees to converge at the Washington State Convention Center for the four-day event, May 17-20.

Show visitors will find a full agenda of educational offerings: Two keynoters and seven featured lecturers will headline a program that also includes eight tutorials (half-day basic training courses), 58 conference sessions with multiple paper presentations in each (see “SAMPE 2010 Seattle at a Glance,”  under "Editor's Picks"), and six panel discussions.



New directions for a new decade

In the wake of the Boeing 787’s first flight and expected production ramp-up this year and the improving economic picture in world markets and the advanced composites sector, SAMPE’s 2010 show theme reflects the growing tide of cautious optimism: “New Materials and Processes for a New Economy.” The SAMPE conference schedule will not lack for presentations that underscore awaiting opportunities, particularly in the aerospace and wind energy sectors.

Dr. John Russell, a senior materials engineer with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) will speak Tuesday on “Design and Manufacture of Composites on Military Aircraft: Where Are We At and Where Do We Need to Go?” Russell will contend that, despite the fact that composites have reached 50 percent by weight in the Boeing 787, there is much to do to give military aircraft designers the confidence to increase composites content in planes beyond the current 25 percent. He plans to outline what needs to be done.

On Wednesday, Dr. Andrew Johnston of the National Research Council Canada (Ottawa, Ontario) will discuss the dynamic and innovative polymer matrix composites sector north of the U.S./Canada border in “Composites in Canada.”

On Thursday morning, Dr. Enrique Garcia of turbine builder Gamesa SA (Vitoria, Álava, Spain) will discuss Gamesa’s efforts with machine builder MTorres (Torres de Elorz, Navarra, Spain) to reduce labor by automating blade manufacture, using a new blade design adapted to what is said to be the world’s first automated dry tape layup machine. Garcia’s presentation will be followed by one from Dr. Ian Chatting, VP of global research at Vestas Wind Systems A/S (Randers, Denmark), who will trace the rapid evolution of wind turbines from small-scale, low-kilowatt generators to today’s massive multi-megawatt systems that have improved energy harvesting efficiency a hundredfold in just 25 years. Chatting will outline the challenges faced by blade manufacturers in terms of reliability and lifetime cost of energy and illustrate how software-based analysis, test and validation tools have enabled lighter and more robust composite blades that reduce loads on the rest of the turbine structure.


Nano-enhancement of composites

Following a keynote speech on applications of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in polymer nanocomposites, given by nanotech pioneer Moribundo Endo (Shinshu University), one of the more intriguing panels will address “Commercializations of Nanotechnology,” which has risen rapidly from a “what if?” research upstart to a worldwide investment juggernaut (valued in excess of $15 billion USD in 2008 alone). The panel moderators, Prof. Joseph H. Koo of the University of Texas and Dr. Louis A. Pilato of Pilato Consulting (Bound Brook, N.J.), will colead a discussion of the ways that nanotechnology R&D already has generated new materials and processes that benefit the composites industry. Panelists scheduled to share commercialization success stories will be Dr. James R. Von Ehr II, Zyvex Technologies Inc. (Columbus, Ohio); Max Lake, Applied Sciences Inc. (Cedarville, Ohio); Dr. Joseph Lichtenhan, Hybrid Plastics Inc. (Hattiesburg, Miss.); Dr. James Seferis, GloCal Network Corp. (Seattle, Wash.); Dr. Beny Wang, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.); Peter Antoinette, Nanocomp Technologies (Concord, N.H.); and Dr. Horst Adams, Bayer MaterialScience, (Pittsburgh, Pa.).

For more information about the SAMPE 2010 Conference & Exhibition, contact Priscilla Heredia,
Tel.: +1 (626) 331-0616 x610; E-mail: priscilla@sampe.org. Web site: http://SAMPE2010.sampe.org.

Covestro LLC

expanded metal foils and polymers
Visual of lab with a yellow line
Composites in New Space Applications
Integrico Equipment Auction
Large Scale Additive Manufacturing
CIJECT machines and monitoring systems
Alpha’s Premier ESR®
Airtech

Related Content

TPRC training courses target thermoplastic composites

Three upcoming in-person thermoplastic composites courses, ranging from entry-level to advanced, are organized to enhance composites professionals’ knowledge in this burgeoning field.  

Read More
Automation

ASCEND program update: Designing next-gen, high-rate auto and aerospace composites

GKN Aerospace, McLaren Automotive and U.K.-based partners share goals and progress aiming at high-rate, Industry 4.0-enabled, sustainable materials and processes.

Read More

NASA names university teams for aeronautics research challenges

As part of the agency’s University Leadership Initiative, three multidisciplinary teams will address topics related to growth in AAM, while a fourth examines electricity generation for future airliners.  

Read More
Sustainability

Chemnitz University of Technology receives €6 million to expand research into "green" carbon fiber

Carbon LabFactory and InnoCarbEnergy project conduct R&D across entire value chain from raw materials through processes to structures and systems on a pilot line with technology demonstrators.  

Read More

Read Next

Workforce Development

SAMPE 2010 Seattle Exhibitor List

A list of exhibitors, booth assignments and a show floor map for the SAMPE 2010 Seattle trade show, May 17-20, 2010.

Read More
Design/Simulation

Modeling and characterization of crushable composite structures

How the predictive tool “CZone” is applied to simulate the axial crushing response of composites, providing valuable insights into their use for motorsport applications.

Read More
Release agents and process chemical specialties