Successful turnout in the second edition of the II Congress challenges before the needs for change

About 300 people attended the Cultural Center of Ibi (Alicante) to participate in the second edition of the Congress 'Challenges to the needs of change', a volume of assistance which resulted in the consolidation of the event. In this line, the Managing Director of Promoibi, Javier Abad, described as the days of "success" by the participation of businessmen and the level of the speakers.

The Congress aims to give hints to the business community of research and applications appearing or it provides appear on new products and materials, to create forums for discussion between speakers and attendees through conferences and symposia to materialize these research and explain how the industry can adapt their production to them and open new fields of business with a high added value for those entrepreneurs entrepreneurs who want to diversify.

IBI is located in the comarca of the Foia de Castalla, a centre of metal - plastic of great importance in the Valencian Community. Cradle of the toy, the majority of the companies decided years ago to bet on industrial diversification and, taking into account that the plastic is one of the raw materials of the toy, many of them have continued to use this material for their new products. As it is the example of the companies mentioned below, four signatures of Ibi which transform plastic either deal with it.

In addition, the second Congress aims to provide a vision for the future on polymers, which are the most promising and in which applications can be used. The first part the event focused presentations "of the company from the Jurassic to the evolved enterprise" on industrial organization, innovation and knowledge management by Angel Arbonies, principal investigator of the MIK of MCC (Mondragón Corporación Cooperativa) and "Systems of innovation"", existing guidelines and trends" by Juan Mulet, director-general of the Cotec Foundation.

The second part of the Congress was attended by speakers such as the prize Jaime I, Eugenio Coronado, Carmen Mijangos, Manager of the National Plan of materials, Consejo superior de Investigaciones Científicas y Javier Maidagan, of Ona EDM with Sergio Herranz of Fatronik.

The director of the Institute of Molecular Science at the University of Valencia, Eugenio Coronado, prize "King Jaime I" to the new technologies, presented the most important progress made in the plastics industry: the electronic application of polymers. He taught, along with a researcher from Philips in the Netherlands, the paper entitled "Polymers for molecular electronics". His latest research are aimed at designing new light emitting conductive polymers. These conductive plastics applications are very promising and currently the largest companies involved in the preparation of screens (Kodak/Sanyo, Philips) are betting on the OLEDs as an alternative to the current displays based on liquid crystals.

He stressed the importance of plastic polymers such as light emitting to get flexible or roller screens with a full definition from any viewing angle, which would substantially improve the televisions, screens of digital cameras or mobile phones, leaving behind the screen of liquid crystals. In addition, these materials provide another advantage for the final product and it is that they allow to get less than a micron thickness. This technology already used in mobile phones and small screens in green and black, however, as you pointed out crowned, currently there is a problem of color that shades as the blue, still must evolve.

According to the Jaume I Prize, within three years about can already find in the market this cutting edge products made from the application of this type of polymers.

On the other hand, listed the numerous advantages which provide artificial muscles that grow or dwindle with the light, a boost which would benefit certain medical applications or enable the creation of intelligent fibers to produce clothing that was for example able to detect the overwork of an individual when it is practiced a sport.

In addition, he exhibited the fundamentalidad of applications crómicas, applicable to the manufacture of intelligent Windows which change color to certain stimuli, such as for example, the light.

Also, as stated, the photo material applications drivers and photo assets, they would guide to put an end to the selenium, a toxic substance which is used in photocopiers, laser, among other products.

"The future of molecular electronics, nanotechnology addresses molecular chips to replace silicon, to get smaller and cheaper products."

To Coronado, this type of event is "very useful to connect businesses of polymers with new technologies in plastics because although not used in the short term, manufacturers have the possibility of knowing these developments at first hand".

Within the framework of the Congress, Carmen Mijangos, Manager of the National Plan of materials offered a vision of the plastic from the industrial point of view, disaggregate aspects related to research in polymers, offered an overview of research centres and projects in which they work and listed incentives in r & d than from the Ministry of Science and technology of polymers gives to the plastics industry.

"I have covered virtually all activities related to the world of polymers from the 73 year: from researcher at apie Spain and overseas, the position of Director of the Institute of plastics and rubber, which is now called Institute of polymer", until now, that I occupy the position of Manager of the national programme of materials of the Ministry of science and technology and at the same time. I have also played important research projects with other European laboratories. "This is my career professional, which is now more geared to administrative tasks or management".

Assessment of the Congress: "I think is important this event because I have seen the importance of the medium and small enterprises in the area of Ibi." I was pleasantly surprised by the attendance of a large number of assistants as well as the active participation of many entrepreneurs. Also, at the level of organization found me a great event. I bet for a future in which companies collaborate with centres of research and vice versa, so that all prosper together.

Fatronik presented the paper "Applications industrial machining." at high speed in real cases "Evidence of a qualitative leap". The benefits of the machining at high speed through a series of real-life examples, through videos, photos, and process data were. The presentation also outlined some of the aspects necessary to incorporate the technology of machining of high speed in a workshop, as they are programmes CAD/CAM, the types of tool, machines, and controls.

"Have found me interesting to present a technology that may not be enough known in this sector, a segment that needs to use high speed milling." For this reason, I have spoken on the molds, I have made an assessment of positive aspects of the high-speed, lhe offered a view on the advantages and limitations of the technology, costs, advances in automation, have spoken of the fair Protodesign", etc."

At the 2003 EMO, and part of the project emo-tion to set in motion a chain of production of moulds, initiative organized by CECIMO, Association of manufacturers of machine tools-, ONA showed the entire process of production of a mold with two centers of EDMfrom the initial idea to the final piece injected, the idea of the mould to manufacture, station CAD is designed where the piece. The fair was a framework for the presentation of ONA AE 300, for troqueladores and moldistas, which among other advantages allow court times improvement in precision parts to reduce the number of reviews, aspects which were also discussed in Ibi.

To answer the question "Is how sell you products of your company in my area?", where representatives from the sector aerospace, electrical appliances, automotive, construction, explained to Ibi entrepreneurs how to sell their products to this type of industries. Begoña Igartua Fagor appliances, Gaspar Lorite's Santana Motor, Pedro Muñoz of Airbus Spain and Francesc Garriga of CTP Prevenció, on behalf of the construction sector participated in the Symposium.

Pedro Muñoz, representative of Airbus Industries, reviewed new technologies employing the company for the generation of large civil aircraft as well as plastic materials most used in the production of the company.

Muñoz, ahead of Spain, for the first time participates directly in 10% of each aircraft, manufacturing lines, using carbon fibers. "Airbus don't use plastic injection, the weight is highly penalized in aviation" pointed out. In this sense, both in the aeronautical sector and in the automotive industry is it tends to achieve a reduction in weight of each unit, which implies an increase in cost. To solve this problem in Aribus according to Pedro Muñoz, have been employed composites and new techniques such as welding by friction. The parameters of importance of the sector are security, weight and cost, parameters in which plastic plays a fundamental role.

Offering an overview of the automotive sector, Gaspar Lorite of Santana Motors, small manufacturing company in Europe which exports Japan, stated that "every time there are fewer manufacturers, is a difficult area and providers are examined with a magnifying glass". According to Lorite, of plastics used in the manufacture of cars - the polyamide and polypropylene-must be account view pieces of exterior and interior, "they require a demand for higher quality." "In addition, the exterior parts cannot be astillables - antimpacto - and must be resistant to ultraviolet rays, among other prerequisites." Another group of plastic products used in Santana are technical parts such as the hands of the door, hinges, the cowling, shooters, etc.

Francesc Garriga, stressed the need to use more plastic construction to improve safety in the works: helmets, gloves, goggles, screens, eliminating the pieces of metal. "It should strengthen the r & d research and development of new plastic products." At the fair Fiberstruct (Dusseldorf) for example, arose, at last, a banister of plastic, wrist bands to download electricity operators, sliding trays of plastic, steps, etc. "The plastic safety is Virgin, there is much to be done," explained Garriga.

The second Congress is promoted by the City Council of Ibi through its Office of economic promotion, Promoibi. The business association formed by more than 400 partners of this region is also, along with the consistory, the organizer of this event with the sponsorship of public and private entities such as the University of Alicante, the CAMIberdrola, Sepes, Ministry of industry, or La Caixa.