SAMPE '98 Preview
Dateline: 05/11/98It's time once again for the International SAMPE Symposium and Exhibition, now in its 43rd year. This technical and trade show is a must for anyone in the composites field. Unless you're presenting or exhibiting, though, you probably want to attend every two or three years.
This year's ISSE will be held from May 31 to June 4, about a month later than last year, but still at the Anaheim Convention Center. The deadline for hotel reservations was May 1, but you still have time to pre-register by May 18 and save $50 over the full registration price. To beat the deadline, you may want to register online.
The cost is up slightly over last year. Full registration is $465($415 early) for members, $585 ($535 early) for non-members, or $50/$75 for students. One-day full registrations are $225/$295. Most tutorials are $95 for professionals, and there doesn't seem to be a discount for students. Full registration gets you one tutorial at $55.
Technical sessions run daily at 1:00 PM, Monday through Wednesday at 3:00 PM, and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings at 9:30 AM, 9:00 AM, and 8:00 AM, respecitively. As usual, there will be over 200 papers presented on topics ranging from basic materials research to applied structural applications. Six or seven sessions run concurrently, so get a session schedule before you leave for the conference and plan your days.
The exhibit hours run from noon to 5:00 PM on Monday, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Tuesday, and from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Wednesday. There will be no exhibits on Thursday. Over 200 companies and organizations will be exhibiting.
Zsolt Rumy, the CEO of Zoltek, will present this year's keynote address on Tuesday morning. He will talk about Zoltek's efforts to become the world's largest producer of carbon fiber. Following that will be a plenary session on an Affordable Carbon Fiber Market, and another Wednesday morning on the F-22 Air Superiority Fighter.
Like last year, there will be several panel discussions, though this year the number has increased to eleven, with many running concurrently. This year's panels cover specific applications, affordability, M&P issues, and other topics.
As usual, there will also be a series of tutorials:
- Sunday 9:00 AM--"Hands On" Composite Structural Repair Workshop
- Sunday 2:00 PM
- Overview of Composite Materials
- RTM and SCRIMP
- Monday 8:00 AM
- Smart Materials and Structures
- Design of Composite Structures
- Affordable Sandwich Design
- Monday 1:00 PM
- Thermal Analysis
- M&P of Space Systems
- Tuesday 1:00 PM--Automated Processing for Low Cost
- Wednesday 1:00 PM
- Prepreg Manufacturing Characterization
- Materials Characterization through NDI
- Thursday 8:00 AM--Battery Applications for Everyone
If you built a putter last year, you may want to extend your set by building another club this year. The demo covers the entire process: cutting the prepreg, wrapping it on the mandrel, shrink wrapping, curing, finishing the shaft, and bonding on the club head and grip. There is a minimal cost for materials, and participation and exhibit times are limited. My colleagues who attended last year warn me that you should plan on spending over an hour in line.
New this year is a composite bridge contest. It's too late to enter, but you can watch the results. Bridges will be loaded to failure on the exhibition floor, and the most efficient bridge (defined as ultimate load over weight) will win.
Two additional events will run concurrently with the symposium this year: The Interagency Working Group on Fire and Materials (IWGFM) and the CFA Vacuum Infusion and RTM Symposium '98.
Please check all of the schedule times against the official SAMPE schedule. I have verified the times against the SAMPE Web site, but the hard-copy schedule may differ, or the schedule may be changed between now and the conference.
Are you attending SAMPE this year? Perhaps I'll see you there--I will be attending the exhibits on Tuesday, and I will probably be at the hospitality suites on Monday evening.
I'm supposed to be receiving some promotional items from a corporate sponsor within a month or so. If you see me at SAMPE, give me a card with your name and e-mail address (it can be hand written), and I'll pick one at random for a prize after the convention. I shouldn't be too hard to spot, even if you don't recognize me from my picture--I'll be wearing shorts and a black knee brace on my left leg.
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