July 2022
With over 60 participants from Europe and Turkey, the first SMCCreate Design Conference took place in Antwerp from 28-29 June. The conference was jointly organised by AVK – Federation of Reinforced Plastics and the European Allicance for SMC BMC. The topics covered the wide spectrum of SMC and BMC manufacturing, from design to sustainability solutions. 16 speakers from different European countries showed what is important in component manufacturing and design, and which solutions the companies offer in regard to materials, performance and much more.
After an overview of the general market developments and how the economic requirements affect component manufacturing, the focus was on the possibilities to enable sustainable design with SMC/BMC. In the second conference section „part design“, the topics of design and modelling, design with structural analysis and flow simulation, standards, and best class solutions as well as surface modification were presented.
A rather newer field was highlighted on Day 2 with Carbon SMC, discussing mobility and automotive applications. These included the integration of multiple material technologies, not forgetting the possibility of implementing green deal strategies here too. The advantages of SMC in automotive components for electrification were explained in more detail. The conference concluded with a sporty presentation on the development of a carbon SMC rear frame for a downhill mountain bike.
While the compact format of the conference was only 1.5 days, there was sufficient time to exchange ideas and talk with participants and speakers.
“We are very happy that the SMCCreate could finally take place, as it had to be postponed twice due to the pandemic. But it was worth the wait. We had many very committed participants and so many innovative and excellent presentations“, Dr Elmar Witten, Managing Director of AVK, sums up and Thomas Wegman of the European Alliance for SMC BMC adds: „We will certainly repeat this to show the SMC/BMC technology and provide to designers inspiration for future applications.”
AVK expert task force SMC/BMC
AVK, the German Federation of Reinforced Plastics, is the professional German association for fiber-reinforced plastics and composites. It represents the interests of manufacturers and processors both in Germany and at the European level. Its range of services includes specialized workgroups, seminars and conferences as well as the provision of market-specific information (www.avk-tv.de).
The aim of the AVK expert task force SMC/BMC is coordinating procedures regarding SMC and BMC material optimization.
In Germany, AVK is one of four support organizations of GKV, the General Association of the Plastics Processing Industry. Within Europe, it is a member of the European umbrella association for composites, EuCIA (European Composites Industry Association). AVK is a founding member of Composites Germany.
European Alliance for SMC BMC
The European Alliance for SMC BMC is an industry association of European companies involved in the SMC and BMC technology, promoting the benefits of SMC BMC Composite solutions through:
– Connecting key stakeholders in the supply chain
– Providing details on typical end-uses
– Explaining the features and associated benefits
– Making available design information to engineers and designs
– Facilitating the information exchange at selected events
More information about the European Alliance for SMC BMC on https://smcbmc-europe.org/. The European Alliance is an association operating under the umbrella of EuCIA in Brussels, Belgium.
Media Contacts
European Alliance for SMC BMC
Thomas Wegman
Phone: +31 6 8364 2884
Email: info@smcbmc-europe.org
AVK
Birgit Förster
Phone: +49 69 271 077 13
Email: birgit.foerster@avk-tv.de
PR 06-2022 Successful SMCCreate Design Conference in Antwerp