Taking place 2-4 October in London, GOCarbonFibre 2012 will deliver its most ambitious programme to date. For the first time, it will address not just key issues in the carbon fibre value chain, but crucially, will also give expert insight into the entire manufacturing process for carbon fibre from beginning to end. This transformative approach means the conference is now a must attend event for established industry players and new entrants. GOCarbonFibre 2012 continues the tradition of the Global Outlook for Carbon Fibre conference, through delivering a speaking programme comprised of the most prominent industry experts. Edward Carson, former executive vice-president at HITCO and senior business manager at Boeing, will be addressing the conference on the future of carbon fibre. In the market report ‘The Future of Carbon Fibre to 2017’ Carson forecasts that over the next five years the global carbon fibre market is forecast to have an annual growth rate of 17%, reaching 118,600 tonnes, with an estimated market value of $7.3 billion by 2017. Carbon fibre’s role in driving automotive environmental performance will be covered at the conference by Dr Armin Plath, head of materials research and manufacturing processes group research at Volkswagen. Doug Parks, director lightweight materials and government programs at The Dow Chemical Company will be discussing new ventures in carbon fibre production and connecting the downstream markets. Dr Jan Verdenhalven, CarbConsult, and former chairman of SGL Group’s composite components business area, will be evaluating thermosetting versus thermoplastic prepregs and the role of resin matrix technologies. Moreover, innovative composite technology for automotive application will be revealed by Julien Tachon, senior material engineer at Toyota Motor Europe. Carbon fibre use in the wind energy sector will also be covered by Enrique Garcia, head of blades department at Gamesa, who will be discussing market forecasts and novel approaches to composite manufacture. www.gocarbonfibre.com
