The European Thermoforming Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE, Antwerp / Belgium; www.thermoforming-europe.org) has announced that its biennial “SPE Thermoforming Conference” will take place virtually and in-person in the US city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, from September 20 to 22. However, only a portion of the workshops will be broadcast as part of the virtual event.

The theme of the conference is “Smart Manufacturing – Intelligently Forming the Future”. The three-day event is to be devoted to heavy gauge and thin gauge thermoforming. The conference also includes 15 technical sessions addressing sustainability, automation and productivity, and a virtual tour of manufacturer Styl’monde’s facility in Priay / France.

“The conference team has developed a comprehensive programme with a heavy focus on automation,” said Brian Golden, 2021 SPE Thermoforming Conference co-chair. “Two panel discussions will address smart manufacturing technologies from OEM and user perspectives; a third panel discussion will tackle the shared challenges we continue to face with supply chain disruptions created by the pandemic and Mother Nature.”

Click here to register.