In the introductory keynote speeches, Jürgen Leohold of Volkswagen, Horst E. Friedrich of DLR e.V. and Boris Shulkin of Magna International (Canada) will discuss the challenges for large-scale production and the importance of lightweight design for future vehicle concepts. Experts from Adam Opel, Audi, BMW, Daimler, Lotus, Porsche and Volkswagen will present their holistic and alternative material strategies in the form of current examples. The relevance of key technologies to lightweight development will be demonstrated in papers on analysis and forecasting as exemplified by alternative materials in body development, adhesive technology as an important driver of innovation in joining technology as well as in-situ polymerization for thermoplastic RTM processes (resin transfer molding).
Experts from the European Aluminium Association (AISBL) from Brussels present the potential of aluminum in electric vehicles. Min Hong Seo of Posco of Korea shows that manufacturers continue to underestimate magnesium as a material. Current development trends in cold-forming and press-quenching steels are presented by Andreas Pichler of voestalpine. Experts from Carbon Composites e.V. (CCeV) report on why carbon is still the leading innovator for automobile lightweight design.
The high point of the congress is the panel discussion of the topic 'Competition amongst the technologies' in which Lutz-Eike Elend of Audi, Jürgen Leonhold of Volkswagen, Laurent Musy from Constellium headquarters in Paris and Rainer Rauh of EADS Deutschland and Klaus Drechsler of the Technical University of Munich will be participating. A special day dealing with the subject of the structural simulation of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRPs) in automotive parts is scheduled for the day before the congress. Technical director is Prof. Dr. Ralf Cuntze, formerly of MAN Technology. Participants will enjoy exclusive insights into Golf 7 production during a guided tour of the VW plant in Wolfsburg.
For registration please go to www.vdi.de/leichtbau or contact VDI Wissensforum Customer Service, PO Box 10 11 39, D-40002 Duesseldorf, E-mail: wissensforum@vdi.de, Tel.: +49 211 6214-201, Fax: - 154.