Following very successful events in North America and Asia, the injection moulding machine manufacturer ENGEL is bringing its automotive conference back to Europe this year. For two days at the end of June, in Linz and St. Valentin, Austria, international experts from the automotive industry and its suppliers will discuss trends and innovative developments, share experiences, and show paths into the future. Some of the topics will be future driving behaviour, interior design, new energy vehicles, and large volume production of lightweight designs. The organiser ENGEL expects several hundred participants.
 |
The European automotive market in an international context
The objective of holding the automotive conference on different continents in turn is the increased focus on the requirements and challenges of individual country markets, while still discussing them in an international context. This year, for example, the focus is on Europe, although participants from Asia and America have also registered at this time. The target group of trend.scaut are the decision-makers in the automotive industry and its supply industry, in the supplier companies, and the raw materials industry. In the past years, developers and production managers have participated along with market analysts and marketing experts.
ENGEL was able to attract renowned speakers in the key topics of Global Market View, Future Automotive Driving and Interior Concepts, New Energy Vehicles and Lightweight Design. They come from LMC Automotive, McKinsey & Company, Car Men, Yanfeng Automotive Interiors, Volvo Car Group, Magna Steyr Engineering, BASF, Kreisel Electric, Audi, Voestalpine Metal Forming, Sabic, and ENGEL AUSTRIA. "We are especially pleased that the global players known throughout the various sectors will be represented alongside highly innovative area companies", says Franz Füreder, Vice President ENGEL automotive at ENGEL AUSTRIA. "The creative potential of Upper Austria and the region around St. Valentin and Steyr plays a key role in the mobility of the future. Our guests will experience this inspiring environment at trend.scaut 2017."
Experience innovative technologies live in the Technical Centre
The first day of the conference is dedicated to keynote speeches and discussions. The event venue will be the Design Center in Linz.
 |
|
DecoJect combines in-mould graining with injection moulding
|
The second day revolves around practical applications.
In ENGEL's large-machine factory in St. Valentin, participants will be introduced to several machine exhibits with leading-edge new technologies:
• On an ENGEL duo 1000 large-scale machine, door panels will be produced using DecoJect.
In a highly automated production cell, DecoJect combines the in-mould graining of thin foils with injection moulding, making the harmonisation of interior surfaces particularly economical.
 |
|
An ENGEL elast IMM is used to manufacture license plate holders for the KTM 1290 Superduke motorcycle
|
• In collaboration with its system partners Hennecke and KTM Technologies, in St. Valentin ENGEL will present excerpts from the automated production of a motorcycle license plate holder for the KTM 1290 SuperDuke.
Through the use of CAVUS technology on an ENGEL elast 400 injection moulding machine, the application achieves an impressive weight reduction of over 60 percent as compared to the current series component.
Developed by KTM techologies, the CAVUS will make it possible in future to produce complex fibre-reinforced hollow components using the automated, high-pressure RTM process.
 |
|
ENGEL will demonstrate the great potential of in-situ polymerisation using the example of a lightweight shovel
|
• Thirdly, the Technical Centre of ENGEL in St. Valentin will show the in-situ polymerisation of ε-caprolactam immediately followed by the functionalisation of FRP support structures through injection moulding.
The reactive and injection moulding processes will take place in parallel within a production cell surrounding an ENGEL v-duo 700 vertical machine.
With its integrated two-component process, ENGEL has achieved a major milestone on the road to utilising thermoplastic-based FRP components even more in vehicle manufacturing.
St. Valentin is not only the location of the large machine plant, it also houses the Technology Centre for Lightweight Composites by ENGEL.
Participants of trend.scaut 2017 will be offered exclusive guided tours of the plant by ENGEL. The location is currently going through a significant expansion. For the first time, the new assembly hall will be open for visitors.
