On Tuesday, September 5, 2017, before the 17th-annual SPE® Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition(ACCE), conference attendees and SPE members may attend a free tour of a new, full scale prototyping facility, part of IACMI – The Composites Institute. The tour will feature IACMI’s large scale molding equipment, including a 4000T Schuler compression press, 3300T Milacron injection press, and specific areas for prepreg manufacture, preforming, bonding and joining, and other processes, along with training facilities to assist companies with workforce development. The advanced, low-profile Schuler press, with an 8 ft by 12 ft platen, is designed for SMC, thermoplastic and thermoset prepreg stamping, high pressure RTM and wet pressing. The Milacron injection press, with robotic handling, preheat ovens, and a 10 ft by 8 ft platen size, is ideal for maturing advanced thermoplastic technologies in structural injection overmolding. IACMI industrial members will be able to access these capabilities through both pre-competitive and confidential project agreements, eliminating the need to interrupt ongoing production, and avoiding large capital investments to de-risk promising technologies. The complete tour, including demonstrations, will last 1.5 hours and is limited to 50 participants on a first-registered/first-accepted basis. The tour begins at 3:00 p.m. and will involve some walking. Tour participants should wear closed toed shoes for safety reasons. 

Tour Signup 

For those interested, a 30-passenger bus sponsored by SPE will be available to drive conference attendees who preregister (on a first-registered/first-served basis) from the front of the Hyatt Place Hotel at the east end of the Diamond Center/Suburban Collection Showplace where the ACCE will be held to IACMI’s Detroit facility and back again. The bus will leave at 2:00 p.m. from that location. Those who live locally may drive themselves as long as they arrive before the 3:00 p.m. start time. The address is 1400 Rosa Parks Blvd, Detroit, MI 48216. If you have not confirmed you are accepted on the tour, do not show up as you may not be accommodated. There is no cost to attend, but you must preregister and wear plant-appropriate clothing. The tour is limited to 50 participants.