Dr. Dagher Presents Keynote Address at Society of Plastics Engineers’ Automotive Composites Conference and Exhibition (ACCE)

Dr. Habib Dagher was noted by Composites World for his recent keynote address at the 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers’ Automotive Composites Conference and Exhibition.

Read the full article, here: http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/spe-acc-report

Nearly 850 attendees gathered to assess the state of composite materials in automotive platforms at the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Automotive Composites Conference and Exhibition (ACCE), held at the Diamond Banquet and Conference Center at the Suburban Collection Showplace venue in Novi, Mich., from Sept. 9-11. ACCE welcomed 68 exhibitors and, with the aid of numerous event sponsors, fielded a technical program that comprised more than 80 presentations, roundtable discussions and keynote speeches covering advances and issues in the areas of thermoset composites, thermoplastic composites, nanocomposites, virtual prototyping/testing, sustainability as well as business trends and technology solutions for automotive applications of composites.

The take-away? New, lightweight steel alloys have captured the attention of OEMs and will increase the competitive pressure composites face to a greater degree in the automotive market than many realize.

Keynote speaker Habib Dagher, director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center (Orono, Maine), put a positive spin on the situation, however, saying in essence, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” — if composites can be combined with other materials to achieve high-performance results, then that’s the way to gain market share.