EPMA reflects on a successful Euro PM2018
October 29, 2018
Euro PM2018 is said to have attracted more than 1,100 participants (Photo © Andrew McLeish Euro PM2018)
The European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA)’s Euro PM2018 Congress & Exhibition was held in Bilbao, Spain, from October 14–18, 2018. The event once again attracted a wide range of participants from the international Powder Metallurgy industry to discuss the latest industry trends and technological innovations.
According to the EPMA, this year’s event drew participants from more than fifty countries in Europe and the rest of the world. Over three-hundred oral and poster presentations were given during the event, and more than 1,100 participants attended the conference and exhibition, where over one-hundred booths hosted exhibitors from across the PM supply chain.
Speaking on the event’s success, Dr Olivier Coube, EPMA Technical Director, stated, “Euro PM2018 represents a turning point of our annual congress and exhibition in terms of size, with 50% more presentations vs 2017, including a 40% increase in metal Additive Manufacturing content, and at the same time an enlarged programme for conventional PM technologies, which remain the backbone of our industry.”
“I would like to especially acknowledge the work of the EPMA staff as they have made this change of dimension logistically possible,” he continued. “[Holding this event] one month after the World PM event was a risk, it was hard work but at the end it was a success with approximately 20% more delegates than last year.”
Lionel Aboussouan, EPMA Executive Director, added, “Bilbao was a great location and made for a thriving event. The enlarged technical programme and extended exhibition opening times helped to attract a diverse range of companies and sectors that want to learn more about what PM can do for their applications and industries. We would like to thank all the EPMA supporters and stakeholders who have assisted in making this event a success.”
For the fifth year, Euro PM2018 hosted the EPMA’s Young Engineers Day, which enabled students from five universities to attend the event for an intensive two-day programme and gain an understanding of what a career in the PM industry can offer. Euro PM2018 gave the opportunity for each of the EPMA’s Sectoral Groups to hold their meetings alongside the technical sessions. The metal Additive Manufacturing group, EuroAM, celebrated its five-year anniversary during the event, with a well-attended session on new and innovative AM-related processes, a review of the past and future works and challenges for the group, and the third Metal AM Trends Survey.
The hardmetals group, EuroHM, invited keynote speakers to give an update of the growing Spanish hardmetals community, while the press & sinter group, EuroPress&Sinter, used its session for a discussion on possible ways to improve the technology and the relationship between industry and academia. The Hot Isostatic Pressing group, EuroHIP, and Metal Injection Moulding group, EuroMIM, also met during the event.
In addition, a new functional materials group, EuroFM, was established as a result of the EPMA’s 2018 Functional Materials seminar held in Jülich, Gemany, earlier in the year, with the aim of representing materials that are used in functional applications such as electric cars and battery systems.
The technical programme also included a number of strand-relevant special interest seminars on the following topics:
- Additive Manufacturing: Success Case Studies in Production and Future Preview of Metal AM
- Hard Materials: Micromechanical Testing of HM
- Hot Isostatic Pressing & Additive Manufacturing: HIP and Heat Treatment of AM Parts – Microstructure and Mechanical Properties and the Effect of Combined HIP and Heat Treatment Cycles Compared to Conventional Processing
- Metal injection Moulding: Quality and Tolerances of MIM components & Functional Materials: Soft and Hard Magnetic Materials
- PM Structural Parts: A Critical Analysis of the Press & Sinter Technology
