In this months issue
Welcome to the world of ET '24
The Thirteenth International Aluminum Extrusion Technology Seminar & Exposition! ET has been the gold standard event for the aluminum extrusion industry worldwide for more than 50 years, anchored by seven tracks of the latest in extrusion technology. I am pleased to lead the extensive team of 38 volunteer members on the ET Seminar Committee, bringing together aluminum extrusion researchers, technical experts, process and product innovators, and extrusion suppliers and equipment-makers from more than 40 countries who will present ET ’24 to you on April 30-May 2, 2024, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA.
This informative bulletin brings you the latest news on every aspect of ET week. ET Registration and Rosen Shingle Creek reservations are now OPEN. We invite you to learn more about our industry and the potential that extruded aluminum products offer to manufacturers in a host of industry sectors.
Stay up to date with #ET24 on our ET Foundation Page on LinkedIn and please make sure to like, comment and share! Go to ET24.us to explore all that ET week offers.
See you in Orlando!
Jerome
Act Now and Become an ET '24 Exhibitor
Join us at the ET '24 Expo and the 13th International Aluminum Extrusion Technology Seminar. As a supplier you'll want to be in Orlando, April 30 – May 2, 2024. Exhibiting at ET '24 is an opportunity you don't want to miss! ET '24 places you right in the middle of aluminum extrusion professionals eager to learn about your latest products, innovations, and services. Be prepared to network with executives, managers, plant supervisors, and specialists over three days in one convenient location. Sign up now!
Space is selling out quickly. Over forty companies have already confirmed their participation as exhibitors at ET '24. Reserving your booth space is both easy and interactive! Visit our online interactive floor plan and select the location, space, and options best suited for your company's needs and budget. To reserve your space at ET Expo, go to ET24.us and choose "Exhibit at ET Expo" or click here. Questions? Contact ET Expo Manager Suzanne Spohr at sspohr@tso.net or 847.416.7216.
Register Early for ET '24 to $ave!
As the old adage goes, "the early bird gets the worm". Registration for ET '24 is now open, and registering early is the best way to save money on your ET '24 experience. With the Premium Discount, now through December 23, 2023, you will get $200 off the standard registration rate!
You can save even more by bringing a team of five or more from your company to attend ET! Each team member will save an additional $75. Coupled with the Premium Discount, that's a total of $275 off the individual standard registration fee per person by December 23rd!
To learn more and register before December 23rd visit our website at aec.org/et-registration.
Become an ET '24 Sponsor
Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the 13th International Aluminum Extrusion Technology Seminar – ET '24. Sponsorships provide invaluable branding, publicity, and visibility before, during and after the event to increase the value of your ET '24 experience.
A variety of opportunities are still available, including networking events, meals and breaks, programs and services, registration, WiFi, mobile event app and much more. For exhibitors, there is a special sponsorship available for the ET Logo Puzzle, which is returning to ET '24!
Sponsorships at ET '24 are being offered to both ET Expo exhibitors and non-exhibitors. Sponsorships are a great way for companies to raise their profile and stand out among the many excellent industry firms and their personnel participating in ET '24.
Review the ET '24 Sponsorship Opportunities brochure for complete details or visit ET24.us and choose Sponsorship Opportunities. Questions regarding sponsorships should be directed to ET Expo Manager Suzanne Spohr at sspohr@tso.net or 847.416.7216.
The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort is the official conference hotel for ET '24. Come and experience the personal touch of an independent, full service, luxury hotel with all the amenities you expect. Rosen Shingle Creek is conveniently located on Universal Boulevard, east of the Orange County Convention Center North/South expansion, and 10 minutes from the Orlando International Airport. Shingle Creek is close to shopping, restaurants, and entertainment, although there is plenty to do right at the hotel!
Rosen Shingle Creek offers championship golf, tennis, four swimming pools, spa luxuries on site, and 15 restaurants and lounges, featuring an award-winning steakhouse, sushi, Italian Bistro, burgers, Taqueria, an ice creamery, coffee bar, and poolside bar & grille. Experience Shingle Creek and make great memories with friends and colleagues during your stay at ET '24. Relax and rejuvenate in style at The Spa at Shingle Creek Orlando day spa and elite salon at the luxurious AAA Four Diamond hotel. You can easily spend a few hours at this glorious spa as they offer many tantalizing packages!
ET '24 Hotel Reservations are now open at the excellent ET room rate of $219 per night, single/double, plus applicable fees. Plan ahead and reserve rooms for your Team now, to ensure your plans on site are set.
Automotive Spotlight at ET '24
There is something for everyone at ET '24, and with aluminum extrusion transportation applications gaining momentum where better to highlight their advantages than at ET '24? The Automotive Spotlight is a special designated display area where aluminum extrusion examples for the automotive and transportation markets are showcased.
In 2022, the inaugural Automotive Spotlight at ET '22 was a rousing success, and it promises to be just as interesting and successful in 2024. Did you ever wonder how aluminum extrusions aid in multi-material joining, or how they can reduce subsequent operations to save time in assembly? See real-world examples of aluminum extrusions used in a variety of vehicle applications – from crash management and battery structures to accessories and trim. From the floor to the roof, aluminum extrusions are used in a wealth of vehicle systems. You may even see a cut-away display to show where and how extrusions are used and joined in a vehicle – like the 2020 Corvette cutaway rolling chassis from ET '22!
The AEC Automotive Team, consisting of AEC Extruder and Aluminum Producer Members, develop the display and provide the extrusion samples along with their OEM partners. You provide the excitement around how extrusions will be used in future vehicles!
To take sneak peek at some of the aluminum extrusion applications in vehicle systems, be sure to visit the Auto Industry page on our website at aec.org/auto-industry.
If you have an example of how extrusions are used in vehicles and would like to share it in the Automotive Spotlight display, contact us at mail@aec.org, attention Nancy Molenda, VP of Communications.
When you're in town for ET '24 next April/May, why not plan to stay and play before or after ET week? Meet up with family or friends – Orlando offers countless ways to have fun in the sun! Enjoy an endless variety of restaurants of every flavor and culture, sports, and entertainment including International Drive nightlife, Cirque de Soleil's Drawn to Life show, Disney Springs dining, shopping, and entertainment, including rock, blues and the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues, and Walt Disney World's Flower & Garden Festival at EPCOT, featuring the Garden Rocks Concert series. And, experience Universal Orlando's roller coasters and thrill rides, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Islands of Adventure and more, plus Universal's City Walk eateries, shopping and entertainments, and SeaWorld Orlando, Discovery Cove, water parks, Andretti Indoor Karting & Games, and much more – the options are endless!
Orlando is the place to relax and feel like a kid again – combined with ET week, it's a work and play combination that can't be beat! Theme Park ticket discounts are available to registered ET '24 delegates. More information about special pricing and offers for theme park tickets will be available to ET '24 registered delegates later this year.
Extrusion Design & Innovation (EI) Track
New! Extrusion Design & Innovation (EI) Track at ET '24 showcases aluminum extrusion's role in product design and applications across a broad spectrum of industries, and the influences of new alloys, processes and dies on extrusion applications.
Featured EI topics presented by extrusion design, alloy, process and die experts focus on areas where innovations are happening. The EI track highlights new processes, multi-materials, high-strength alloy extrusions, porthole die concepts for hollow profile variable wall thickness, friction stir welding (FSW) in maritime and automotive extrusion applications, profile tolerances and extrudability, profile assemblies in bridge/floor/panel applications, automotive extrusion applications, aluminum alloy high strain and high energy absorption capabilities, alloy developments for heat exchangers, microstructure effects on bending performance, and customer collaboration, just to name a few.
The EI Track is one of seven technical tracks to be presented at ET '24, which include:
- Extrusion Design & Innovation (EI)
- Alloys & Billet Process (BP)
- Extrusion Equipment (EE)
- Extrusion & Die Process Application (EP)
- Extrusion Finishes & Fabrication (FF)
- Extrusion & Die R&D (RD)
- Sustainability & Management (SM)
Extrusion manufacturers, product designers, and specifiers are urged to attend ET '24 to learn about the latest product innovations and technical advances in aluminum extrusion to get the competitive edge that will shape your business success for years to come!
Stay tuned for ET '24 podcasts, including an EI Track preview with ET Seminar Committee member and EI Track Chair Bill Rogers, of Metal Products Consulting LLC. View EI abstracts at ET24.us.
Value-Added Learning at ET Week
ET '24 provides exclusive in-conjunction workshops to enhance the value of attending ET, available on Monday, April 29 and on Friday, May 3, during ET week. Maximize your ET experience by attending one or more of these full-day workshops:
Monday, April 29, choose from the Finishing Workshop (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.), which combines the latest information on pretreatment, equipment, coating and finishing processes for the aluminum extrusion industry. Or choose Anodizing Essentials (8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.), which offers foundational learning on quality anodizing from start to finish, covering metallurgy basics, cleaning and rinsing, racking dyeing, sealing, safety, and more. Or, the Process Analysis & Optimization workshop, conducted by top experts from the University of Bologna Manufacturing Technologies Group, covers practical and analytical extrusion concepts, material flow and friction in direct extrusion, die failure modes, die life prediction, and much more (8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.). And, the popular Extrusion Excellence: Applied Fundamentals for Aluminum Extruders course is taught by renowned extrusion expert Professor Wojciech Misiolek, Lehigh University, Lightweight Materials (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.). Theory and practice are combined in this intensive course, covering the manufacturing process from billet production through the press to the runout table.
Friday, May 3, the Extrusion Excellence Workshop is again offered (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.), or attend the AEC Die Clinic (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.), which is an abbreviated version of one of AEC's most valuable die training events. This is a practical course taught by members of the AEC Die & Tooling Team, who are experts in die correction, die manufacturing, extrusion operation and related skills.
Be sure to add one or more of these great tutorials onto your teams' registrations to get the most out of attending ET '24. Register early for these spots – space is very limited, and they fill up fast! Extra fees apply. For more information on in-conjunction workshops at ET '24, contact Lisse Jurcenko, ljurcenko@tso.net, or 847.416.7219.
Extrusion Showcase will Feature a World of Applications
The Extrusion Showcase at ET '24 will highlight innovative and interesting examples of aluminum extrusions in a variety of markets served by the industry. Designers and engineers are consistently coming up with new and interesting ways in which to incorporate aluminum extrusions in their products and the Extrusion Showcase is the place where ET delegates find inspiration.
Past examples on display have included a Gorlov Helical Turbine developed by Lucid Energy Technologies, the Omni-Hub™ Universal Space Frame System by Conservatech (now CST), the GO Trailer by Sylvan Sport, and the International Space Station Extra-vehicular Activity (EVA) Handrail by Boeing Corporation (shown at left). Other examples included the City of Toronto Street Signs produced by Almag Aluminum, a Light Vehicle Tactical Bridge by MAADI Group, the Hercules Patient Repositioner by the Morel Company, and the Roll-A-Cover retractable enclosure system.
Many of the examples on display come from the Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition winning entries. In 2024, AEC and the ET Foundation will once again solicit entries for the professional Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition. Watch for details and the Call for Entries coming this fall. In the meantime, if your company has an innovative product application using aluminum extrusions, be sure to let us know at mail@aec.org, attention Nancy Klein.