News
Advanced Composites Training event celebrates industry
March 31, 2016 By Advanced Composites Training
To celebrate and reflect upon their 20 years in business while increasing awareness of the composites industry, Advanced Composites Training (ACT) will be holding the first-ever Composites Community Showcase. The event will bring together composites industry professionals, instructors, engineers, employers, students and those who are curious about composites to celebrate and learn about this astounding technology.
The Composites Community Showcase will be held at the Fanshawe College Aviation Centre from 10am-3pm on Saturday, April 2, 2016. The event will feature interactive and educational seminars, as well as expert panels and displays that span all industries that utilize composite materials, such as aviation, automotive, marine and wind energy, and others. London’s Mayor, Matt Brown, will be in attendance, as will representatives from various composites companies around the nation, many of which have worked with ACT over the past 20 years.
The composites industry is becoming increasingly vital in the manufacturing sector, making it a viable career option. Ian Swentek, Research Engineer at Fraunhofer Project Centre, has seen the growth of the industry first-hand, and believes the industry will continue to soar into the future.
“I am convinced that the pressure North America’s car manufacturers are facing to build more efficient vehicles will force them to adopt composite manufacturing processes at an increasing rate in coming years,” Swentek says. “To support this manufacturing shift, and the general adoption of performance materials across a range of industries, a connected workforce knowledgeable in composite manufacturing and repair technologies will be required.”
While composites are probably most associated with use in aviation or vehicle structures, advancements in the technology have resulted in the materials being used in just about anything – from boat hulls to bike frames to hockey sticks to contemporary musical instruments. ACT’s founder, Wilson Boynton, says that the composites industry seems to be unknown to business owners and the general public alike -– a fact that he hopes to change by hosting the showcase.
“The two most common things we hear from those who discover our business and take our courses is firstly, that they had no idea how much there was to know about this technology and secondly, that they can’t believe they hadn’t known about it before,” Boynton explains. “There has been a barrier between industry professionals and the general public about composites technologies education and the doors it can open for them. Our Composites Community Showcase hopes to break through that barrier with a loud bang by bringing together industry professionals to educate and inform the public of just what composites are and how they are changing our world.”
In addition to the show floor, exhibits, and panel of industry experts, the showcase will feature guest speakers throughout the day. Topics of discussion will include a “then and now” history of the composites industry, current trends and uses of the technology, how composites are leading us into the future, and what this means for anyone pursuing a career in the skilled trades.
