This month, the international composites community gathered in Paris, France yet again for the JEC World 2018 composites conference. IACMI leadership joined over 1,300 exhibitors and 40,000 visitors from 115 countries around the globe to share and discover the latest composite technologies, applications, and developing trends for a variety of applications including aerospace, automotive, marine, sporting goods, and many others.
JEC Group held its annual innovation awards recognizing creative solutions and exceptional impact and performance of composite technologies. The thermoplastic-matrix wind turbine blade prototype facilitated by IACMI was in great company with two other finalists in the sustainability category. The conference kicked off on March 7th as the jury confirmed the eleven winning innovations out of more than 100 applicants worldwide.
The three-day conference was packed with meaningful innovations showing significant progress in composites manufacturing techniques, including new machinery to handle materials, creative approaches to fastening, novel overmolding methods, and natural fiber applications. IACMI members are at the forefront of American manufacturing innovation utilizing these technologies. Arkema, who played a large role in the fabrication of the IACMI wind blade prototype, showcased its one-of-a-kind Elium resin for composites which enables more effective recyclability of products at end of life. Volkswagen displayed the composite tailgate project, and other IACMI members including Dassault Systèmes and Magnum Venus Products (MVP) highlighted new products and concepts.