Composites Consultants

I finally have time to comment on the latest JEC in Paris. The show this year was a bit more subdued - but still great. It pretty much filled the hall this year with very little empty space. The traffic seemed a little bit slower than last year, but most were quality contacts.

Again, JEC has put together a high quality show and has managed to get many of the composite end users to exhibit. This really makes the show interesting for me (and hopefully the other suppliers).

I am hoping that with the new owners of CompositeWorld, that this year will be the time to have a US show of the same caliber as the JEC in Europe.

SAMPE and ACMA are the dominate shows here (in the USA). And neither one really does a great job (not any where near what JEC does in Europe). I think that the entrenched bureaucracies that run both organizations should become a little more aware of what the exhibitors are really looking for - customers(!) and try to get more of the end users to attend the show.

I am getting ready to head off to Paris for the 2009 JEC Show. This year promises to be bigger and better than ever. The economy doesn't seem to have put a damper on the JEC, like it has some of the composites shows here in the USA. The ACMA Show in Jan., in Tampa, Florida, was a little disappointing. Attendance was down, and there were many empty booths in evidence. We suppliers were trying to sell to each other.

The JEC seems to do a much better job in promotion and advertising than the shows in the US. They also tend to bring in a lot of the composites producers, not just the suppliers. These companies are many of the big players in the automotive, aerospace, marine and defense industries. These end users are, of course, the real consumers of the products and services that, we, as a composite industry, supply. It is a always interesting to see what these users composites are doing. There is always something interesting and innovative on display at the JEC Show.

And, of course, I will be looking for some fine dining and some, equally fine, French wine.

Labels: Composites Shows

To extend its international network of sales and service points, MATERIAL has signed a cooperation agreement with ETAMAX ENGINEERING to become MATERIAL's new engineering center in Australia.

The new site, located in Adelaide, South Australia, will not only service Australia but also the Asia-Pacific region. It will provide installation, training and maintenance services for MATERIAL's well-known software packages: CADWIND, the process simulation system for filament winding, and COMPOSITE STAR, the database and design software for composites. Furthermore it will offer engineering services for filament winding technology including part and process design, winding program calculation, process optimization, production planning and prototyping.

ETAMAX’s founder, Peter Eagles, has more than ten years of experience working with composite materials and in filament winding technology. He holds bachelor's degree qualifications from RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, in both Aerospace Engineering and Business Administration. He has played a key role in developing a wide range of light-weight composite products including multi-hull racing yachts, hydrofoils, masts, external cargo pods for carriage on supersonic military jets and filament wound pressure vessels for aerospace and submarine applications.


For more information on ETAMAX ENGINEERING see http://www.etamax.com.au

Material USA and Skinner Creative will be at the ACMA Show in Tampa, Florida, Oct. 17th - 19th at the Tampa Convention Center, Booth 1920. We will be demonstrating the latest version of CADWIND 2007 software for filament winding pattern generation and simulation and CompositeStar software for composite design and failure analysis. Stop by and see me and Axel Seifert of Material, to answer any questions you might have about filament winding.

Labels: Cadwind, Composites, Filament Winding

The new issue of Reinforced Plastics has an article by Vicki McConnell on filament winding. Check out the latest trends in filament winding from the leading machine manufacturers, users and yours truly. You can see the magazine online at http://redigitaleditions.com/ActiveMagazine/welcome/RRP/rrp070301.asp The article starts on page 20.

Labels: Filament Winding

Two of the companies that I have been consulting with will be at the upcoming JEC Show in Paris, France, April 3rd through April 5th. The show is at the Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles - Hall 1. This show is the premier composites show on the planet.

Fiberforge will be showing off some of the new parts that they have been developing using their patented Fiberforge process for thermoplastic composite manufacturing.

Material will be demoing the new CADWIND 2006 version of their flagship CADWIND software for filament winding pattern generation and simulation. CompositeStar software for composite design will also be available for demonstration.

Fiberforge will be in Booth Q70 and Material will be in booth TBD. Stop by these booths and see some of the most interesting developments going on in composite fabrication.

I'll be heading to sunny southern California the end of next week for the Active Sports Retailers Show in San Diego. It runs from Jan. 25th to the 27th in the San Diego Convention Center. I'll be manning Fiberforge's booth, number 2211. This show has all of the cool outdoor products for active sports such as surfing, snowboarding, skating, longboarding, etc.

3 Ring Longboards will be sharing the booth. They will be showing their unique line of longboards (made by Fiberforge), clothes, hats and other longboarding gear.

Well, it is a new year. Is this year the dawn of a new era for the composites industry? With the new composite aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, bigger wind mill blades and all of the other new uses for composites, it looks like the industry may be finally coming into its "Golden Age". The promise of lighter weight products, better structural performance, no corrosion and all of the other advantages of composites, combined with the "Green" benefits (recyclability), means composites are finding more acceptance in main stream products then they ever have before.

Lets hope that this increased use of composites benefits the many small companies that have worked for years to promote the composite industry.