February 22, 2012 (Las Vegas, Nev.) – COMPOSITES 2012 opened the doors to its Exhibit Hall today at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. COMPOSITES, produced annually by the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA), is the industry’s premier exhibition and convention.
“The Exhibit Hall is an incredibly dynamic place to be,” says ACMA President Lori Luchak of Miles Fiberglass & Composites. “Featuring more than 200 U.S. and international exhibitors from 40-plus market segments, it’s a terrific place to do business, network and see what’s new. There are also live demonstrations of products and processes plus a special pavilion showcasing the entries for the 2012 ACE and Pinnacle Awards. If you want to see our industry’s drive for innovation in action, this is where you want to be.”
In a well-received COMPOSITES keynote address delivered Wednesday during a General Session sponsored by Owens Corning, NASCAR legend and ABC/ESPN commentator Rusty Wallace touted the role of composites in automotive racing. He estimated that 30 percent of the parts in current NASCAR vehicles are made of composites and predicted that percentage would continue to grow.
According to Wallace, the 2001 death of racing star Dale Earnhardt in a crash during the last lap of the Daytona 500 really “woke people up” on safety issues and caused NASCAR to begin embracing composites materials. He said the use of composites in features such as the eight-inch-thick “crushable zones” that now run along both sides of NASCAR vehicles “have saved lives.”
After declaring that “composites and NASCAR are here to stay,” Wallace went on to urge composites companies to band together and use ACMA as a focal point to “spread the word that composites are better, stronger, lighter and more durable than steel, aluminum and other materials.”
COMPOSITES 2012 runs through Thursday, February 23. All revenues from the event are invested back into ACMA’s efforts on behalf of the industry. In addition to Owens Corning, the Platinum Sponsors of COMPOSITES 2012 are CCP Composites, Composites One and Reichhold.
