Foam Expo On Demand

Session description:

• Points to be discussed:

  • How many end user requirements have changed during 2020 and what impact will this have on the next two years?
  • To what extent have manufacturing priorities been changed by a year of disruption and what goals can be set going forward?
  • What kind of sustainable business practices could benefit the supple chain moving forward?

Session description:

• In this discussion, the opening panel will investigate the trends that have impacted market dynamics for both structural and non-structural adhesives and tapes over the past year. Learn what direction the industry is taking and how they are continuing to maximize business opportunities despite the challenges posed by the global pandemic:

  • What are the current market dynamics? How are the end-user markets performing? Where are the new opportunities?
  • How to connect with customers and suppliers in a virtual environment?
  • What is the best way to gain market share in a tough market?

Session description:

• During this 60-minute virtual roundtable discussion attendees have the opportunity to consult foam manufacturers about the most effective methods of recycling and repurposing foams. Get advice on:

  • What are the most profitable methods of implementing environmentally friendly practices?
  • What impact will consumer and regulatory pressure have upon recycling implementation whilst getting business moving again?
  • How can the supply chain best adapt to new end of life practices?

Session description:

• During this 60-minute virtual roundtable discussion attendees have the opportunity to consult adhesive and bonding technology providers and get advice on application selection criteria, dispensing and processing. Get advice on:
  • Which adhesive tape to use for which application with what materials?
  • How are adhesives tapes applied most efficiently?
  • How to account for environmental influences such as humidity, corrosion, crash resistance, and thermal cycles?
  • What processing technology is required and how can it be efficiently integrated into existing assembly lines?

Session description:

• The luxury aerospace market is constantly growing and changing to meet the demands of the consumer. With higher standards from the consumer than the mass-produced counterparts, Luxury  OEM’s must strive even further for excellence. Join the experts from Gulfstream Aerospace as they elaborate on the challenges they face both from a foam and adhesives perspective. This unique interactive session is your insight into the luxury aerospace market and how to fulfil their needs. Points to be discussed:

  • ​​​​​​What are the latest requirements of the luxury aerospace market for foam materials?
  • What are the latest requirements of the luxury aerospace market for adhesives?
  • How have the developments of 2020 impacted the luxury aerospace market?

Session description:

• What new challenges and opportunities does COVID19 pose on material performance and application requirements?
  In this session, end-users will present an update of the challenges and performance requirements of bonding technologies for end-user applications. They will outline their key application specifications, validation and processing challenges to the supply chain. Questions to be addressed:
• • What applications/products do you manufacture?
  • When do you start think about the bonding technology/adhesive in product design?
  • What are the materials that you are trying to bond?
  • What different bonding technologies do you use?
  • What are the top 3 handling / processing challenges that you are experiencing and how does this affect the selection and validation processes?
  • What new challenges and opportunities does COVID19 pose on material performance and application requirements?

Session description:

• During this 60-minute virtual roundtable discussion attendees have the opportunity to consult foam manufacturers and end users on the latest in biobased innovation.  Get advice on:
  • What variations of bio-based materials or biodegradable materials are available and what are their strengths?
  • What are the benefits of adopting bio-based materials and how versatile are they?
  • How are buyers of bio-based foams benefiting from their investment?   

Session description:

• During this 60-minute virtual roundtable discussion attendees have the opportunity to consult adhesive and bonding technology providers and get advice on application selection criteria, dispensing and processing. Get advice on:
  • Which adhesive to use for which application with what material?
  • How are adhesives applied or dispensed most efficiently?
  • How to account for environmental influences such as humidity, corrosion, crash resistance, and thermal cycles?
  • What processing technology is required and how can it be efficiently integrated into existing assembly lines?

Session description:

• Despite the events of 2020 the resilient foam supply chain continues to require innovation when it comes to maximizing production. This session will examine how best to expand the production of foam materials for both large- and small-scale manufacturers. It will also give end-users who may be concerned about how to sustain their production requirements an idea of how the industry will be able to meet their demands. Points to be discussed:
  • How can the foam supply chain best meet the demands of new and emerging markets?
  • What is the most cost-efficient way to increase foam production?
  • Should the increase of foam production be carried out within the USA or internationally?

Session description:

• Social distancing, health & safety and the need for robust manufacturing lines; the automation of and integration of robotic solutions has seen increased interest from manufacturers in the wake of COVID-19. However, automating adhesive application is challenging due to the wide variety of requirements for different assembly lines: volume, throughput, curing times, batch/continuous processing, quality control and range of materials used. Join this panel to learn:
  • What impact has COVID19 had in the uptake of automation and in which markets?
  • What are the current challenges in implementing robotics and automation in adhesive bonding?
  • What factors to consider in different assembly line requirements?
  • Understanding equipment and process parameters of existing assembly lines

Session description:

• During this 60-minute virtual roundtable discussion attendees have the opportunity to consult technology providers and manufacturers on the impact of additive manufacturing for the foam supply chain. Get advice on:
  • What opportunities can be unlocked using additive manufacturing’s versatile methods?
  • How close is additive manufacturing to majorly disrupting the foam supply chain?
  • To what extent can additive manufacturing improve processing speeds?

Session description:

• ​​​​​During this 60-minute virtual roundtable discussion attendees have the opportunity to consult adhesive and bonding technology providers and get advice on surface treatment technologies such as primers, plasma treatment and heat treatment are a solution to ensure reliability and durability in the bonded structure. Get advice on:
  • How does surface energy of materials like metals, composites and plastics affect the adhesive bond?
  • What surface preparation technologies are available and what are the challenges in their interaction with material properties and adhesive technology?
  • Issues with analytical/failure analysis studies of surface contamination and reliability performance or bond strength

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Session description:

• There are currently standardized tests in place for rigid foams under ASTM International. This allows for rigid foams to undergo thorough testing to the same benchmark across the industry. The same cannot be said of dynamic or flexible foams however, as no standardized testing exists it is much harder to monitor the foams ability to perform under pressure. End-user markets such as sport & leisure, automotive and aerospace are asking for standardized testing that can be carried out on their foams, this session will express these requirements and work towards a solution.  Points to be discussed:
  • What are the challenges in standardizing testing for flexible foams?
  • What benefits will test standardization bring to end user markets?
  • What are the requirements that the standardized testing of flexible/dynamic foams must meet?

Session description:

• Increasingly, product engineers are looking to virtual modelling tools in their design processes to validate the materials they use to improve part design and reduce the need for destructive testing. Join this panel discussion to learn first-hand:
  • How to minimize the cost of testing of product development through simulation?
  • What adhesive manufacturers do to help their customers on the journey to virtual testing and simulation?
  • How do materials behave in a test and how does it work when it is in a product?
  • How to select which properties and performance metrics are most important and how does this translate into real-life usage of the product?

Session description:

• During this 60-minute virtual roundtable discussion attendees have the opportunity to consult foam manufacturers on the benefits and challenges in testing standardization. Get advice on:
  • The most effective ways of optimizing the standardization process for flexible foams
  • How standardization can improve supply chain efficiency through faster communication and product turnaround
  • How do your testing methods vary from your suppliers? 

Session description:

• During this 60-minute virtual roundtable discussion attendees have the opportunity to consult adhesive and bonding technology providers and get advice on challenges with bonding of dissimilar materials. Get advice on:
  • What factors to consider when bonding different substrates?
  • How to validate what adhesive to use for bonding dissimilar substrates?
  • How to bond thermoplastics; what are the difficult thermoplastics to bond to and why?
  • What processing steps are involved in ensuring a successful bond?