July 29, 2021

The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) is introducing a new educational seminar geared toward automotive industry design engineers, OEMs and tier one suppliers. The AEC Automotive Virtual Seminar, scheduled for September 28 - 29, 2021, will include two half-day general sessions that will feature aluminum extrusion industry experts discussing a variety of topics related to automotive component design, aluminum extrusion alloys, sustainability of aluminum, applications for extrusions and more.

The AEC Automotive Seminar will be conducted online and is free to attend. Program and registration details are available on the Seminar website at www.aec.org/AutoSeminar.

The speakers include extruders that serve the automotive sector with extensive programs, certifications and robust engineering resources, and the metal suppliers they work with. The program will provide attendees with a better understanding of aluminum extrusions and the aluminum extrusion process, and the design and processing considerations necessary to ensure a successful and cost-effective aluminum extrusion automotive program.

"Anyone responsible for designing or procuring vehicle components or structural systems should explore this seminar to learn more about how aluminum extrusion fits into the equation of effective automotive design," said AEC Automotive Seminar Task Force Leader Rob Nelson, Executive Vice President for Almag Aluminum in Brampton, Ontario. The program content is based on the input from leading extrusion industry participants, as well as extruded aluminum automotive application studies that AEC has conducted. "The AEC Virtual Automotive Seminar gives the speakers a chance to delve deeper into the data to help attendees better understand the benefits of using aluminum extrusions for lightweighting, especially in this era of expanding EV programs," Nelson commented.

"The Automotive Seminar program is structured so that attendees can choose to view the sessions that are most relevant to them—whether they have a basic understanding of aluminum extrusions or are an experienced user," explained AEC Automotive Industry Promotion Team Leader Mark Butterfield, Managing Director for Magnode-A Shape Corp. Company in Trenton, Ohio.

Two special presentations of automotive application-focused technical papers from the International Aluminum Extrusion Technology Seminar, the most respected worldwide technical conference for the extrusion industry, will be on the program as well. Nick Parson of Rio Tinto Aluminium will deliver "Extrusions for Automotive Crash Applications", which describes the results of a test program to examine the crush behavior of a range of alloys for automotive applications as a function of processing parameters, including artificial aging. The paper won the Best Paper Award at the Eleventh International Aluminum Extrusion Technology Seminar (ET '16) held in Chicago, Illinois, in 2016.  In addition, the ET'16 technical paper, "Elevated Temperature Exposure Effects: A Comparison of 6xxx-Series and 7xxx-Series Alloys", authored by Danielle Williamson and David Lukasak of Hydro Extrusions, will be presented. Details on both special presentations are on the AEC Automotive Seminar website.

To view the AEC Automotive Virtual Seminar details as they emerge and to register, visit www.AEC.org/AutoSeminar.