The premier event for the North and South American composites industry arrived in Houston last week, where thousands of industry and market thought leaders gathered at JEC Group’s 4th annual JEC Americas Composites Show and Conferences. The show itself increased by 15% in space and number of exhibitors.
Throughout the three-day show, participants witnessed the latest technological developments within a growing composites industry whose applications extend to the energy, automotive and aerospace sectors. This year’s event had a particularly pronounced focus on composites manufacturing, attracting leaders in big series manufacturing. Indeed, 60 percent of the exhibitors at this year’s show presented solutions for manufacturing of composites, including equipment, software and tooling.
“The composites industry continues to thrive in North and South America, driven by innovations in materials, processing and equipment. That growth is mirrored by the development of JEC Americas,” explained Mrs Frédérique Mutel, President and CEO, JEC Group.
The show also featured, for the first time ever in the US, a 3D-printed Shelby Cobra printed using 20 percent carbon fiber-reinforced ABS material, as well as thought-provoking keynote addresses by Ron Garan, a former NASA astronaut and Byron Pipes, the John Bray Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Purdue University.
JEC Group also hosted the JEC Innovation Awards, where it honored 10 companies whose innovations in composites demonstrate how new materials are transforming industries of all types.