SPE reveals keynote speaker for Thermoset TopCon 2022
Professor Tim A. Osswald, director of the Polymer Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will be presenting “Thermosets — A Historical and Future Perspective.”
Photo Credit: SPE Thermoset Division
The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE, Brookfield, Conn., U.S.) Thermoset Div. has announced its first keynote speaker for the annual TopCon event taking place May 17-18, 2022 at the Monona Terrace and Convention Center in Madison, Wis.
“Thermosets — A Historical and Future Perspective” will be presented by Professor Tim A. Osswald, director of the Polymer Engineering Center (PEC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His presentation will take the audience through time, from the “heat and pressure” patent application in 1907, through the growth of an industry now known as the thermoset plastics industry, which ultimately led to a new branch in the composites industry; Osswald will walk the audience through asbestos-filled Bakelite and unsaturated polyester fiber glass panels during the second World War, to a growing sheet molding compound (SMC) automotive body panel industry and today’s aerospace applications. Finally, the presentation will take a look into the future of thermosets through the emerging 3D printing field, including hybrid structures.
Osswald is an Honorary Professor of Plastics Technology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany and the National University of Colombia. His research includes modeling and simulation in polymer processing, engineering design with plastic and composite materials and sustainability in plastics manufacturing. Professor Osswald also served as the chief English language editor for the Journal of Polymer Technology and editor for the Americas for the Journal of Polymer Engineering.
Moreover, he has published more than 300 peer-reviewed conference and journal articles as well as 15 books translated in five languages, including: “International Plastics Handbook” (2019); “Polymer Processing – Modeling and Simulation” (2006); “Understanding Polymer Processing” (2017); and “Materials Science of Polymers for Engineering” (2012). Osswald has also served as an expert witness in polymer engineering litigation, including product failure, patents and intellectual property and is on the advisory board of multiple companies. He is currently adviser to the president of Colombia in the creation of a new Ministry for Science, Technology and Innovation.
The SPE Thermoset TopCon 2022 will feature technical presentations and exhibits highlighting advances in materials, processes and equipment for thermoset technologies in electrical, automotive, off-highway, appliance, aerospace, building and construction, oil and gas and other industries. The conference includes one full day of technical sessions with a networking breakfast, lunch and cocktail reception on May 17, and a networking breakfast on May 18. Optional social events, including a golf outing at University Ridge Golf Course, a tour of the Polymer Engineering Center (PEC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a cruise of the Madison shoreline via private yacht with deluxe appetizers and beverages are offered on May 16, the day before the conference begins.
