AVK and SMC‑BMC Alliance: Successful SMCCreate Design Conference in Antwerp

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 Alliance for SMC BMC. The topics covered the wide spectrum of SMC and BMC manufacturing, from design to sustainability solutions.

Sixteen speakers from different European countries presented key aspects of component manufacturing and design, as well as the solutions companies offer in terms of materials, performance, and more.

After providing an overview of general market developments and how economic requirements affect component manufacturing, the focus shifted to the possibilities for enabling sustainable design with SMC/BMC. In the second conference session, “part design”, topics included design and modelling, structural analysis and flow simulation, standards, best-in-class solutions, and surface modification.

A relatively newer field was highlighted on Day 2 with Carbon SMC, focusing on mobility and automotive applications. Topics included the integration of multiple material technologies and the possibility of implementing Green Deal strategies. The advantages of SMC for electrification in automotive components were also discussed in more detail.

The conference concluded with a dynamic presentation on the development of a carbon SMC rear frame for a downhill mountain bike.

Despite the compact 1.5-day format, there was sufficient time for exchange and discussion among participants and speakers.

“We are very happy that SMCCreate could finally take place after being postponed twice due to the pandemic. It was worth the wait. We had many highly engaged participants and numerous innovative and excellent presentations,” said Dr Elmar Witten, Managing Director of AVK.

Thomas Wegman of the European Alliance for SMC BMC added: “We will certainly repeat this event to showcase SMC/BMC technology and provide designers with inspiration for future applications.”

AVK Expert Task Force SMC/BMC

AVK, the German Federation of Reinforced Plastics, is the professional association for fibre-reinforced plastics and composites. It represents the interests of manufacturers and processors in Germany and across Europe.

Its services include specialised working groups, seminars, conferences, and the provision of market-specific information (www.avk-tv.de).

The aim of the AVK expert task force SMC/BMC is to coordinate activities related to SMC and BMC material optimisation.

In Germany, AVK is one of four supporting organisations of GKV, the General Association of the Plastics Processing Industry. In Europe, it is a member of the European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA) and 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 SMC and BMC technologies, promoting the benefits of SMC/BMC composite solutions by: