The 8th Global Automotive Lightweight Materials Summit Detroit (GALM 2019) is the world’s leading automotive lightweighting conference providing design solutions, modeling, material strategies, joining processes, advanced structures & manufacturing innovation insights. The new agenda reflects major automotive industry investment into a new generation of EVs and autonomous vehicles by established and start-up OEMs. The rapid transition to more EVs, autonomous vehicles and ICEV platforms architectures and lightweight structures is driving new opportunities for advanced technology adoption and engineering innovation, but also creating potentially disruptive challenges for vehicle designers, engineers and their suppliers.
GALM will be held on August 20-22, 2019, in Detroit, MI, featuring in-depth technical sessions, case study-led presentations and interactive panel discussions on the hottest issues, enabling greater interaction between speakers and delegates than ever before.
The Program
The new program for GALM 2019 is available online to download. The three day event will focus on the following themes:
Day One:
Vehicle lightweighting strategies and material selections, joining mixed metal solutions including fastenings, welding, and adhesives testing and process validation as well as simulation of these processes.
Day Two:
Lightweighting e-drivetrains, interiors, battery structures, stamping, welding, mixed material joining & materials for crashworthiness.
Day Three:
Understanding digitization opportunities and Industry 4.0 for integrated design and manufacturing, evolving lighter structures and applications at lower costs with high strength aluminum and composites, and innovations in manufacturing with additive technologies and materials customization.
Key Speakers from leading OEMs and metal producers include:
- Dr. Zhing Chen, senior engineer, Advanced Metallic and Lightweight Materials, NIO
- Samuel Insana, president North American Operations, Neuman Aluminium Impact Extrusion
- Dana McCarius, Advanced Vehicle Engineering, Energy, Efficiency & Competitive Intelligence, ESG automotive
- Prof. Dr. Ing. Achille Mbang Sama, leader, European Affordable Lightweight Automobiles Alliance Project, Mercedes-Benz Operations (Daimler AG)
- Dr. Fei Xiong, vice president, Product Engineering Electric Vehicles, Qiantu Motor
- Dr. Venkat Aitharaju, staff researcher, Polymer Composites, R&D Technical Center, General Motors
- Hank Bonutti, advanced technology manager, Mahindra NATC
Preview of Presentations
GALM 2019 will feature a number of presentations of interest to the light metals industry, as well as of competing materials technologies. Some of the relevant presentations for aluminum and magnesium manufacturers are noted below.
Keynote Panel Presentation: Evaluating The Latest Data On How Lightweighting Objectives May Change For Battery Electric And Autonomous Vehicles – How Important Is Mass Reduction Going To Be In The Future?
Case Study: Joining Gen3 to Aluminum: Innovations For Joining High Strength Steels To Aluminum Alloys.
Question And Answer Session: Simulating Hot and Cold Forming Processes with New High Strength Steels and Aluminum Alloys.
Advanced Magnesium Alloys: Developments In High Performance Magnesium Alloys for Automotive Lightweighting.
Case Study: Joining Metals to Composites: Process Innovations in Joining Carbon Fiber and Plastic Composites to Steel and Aluminum.
Panel: High Strength Aluminum Alloys: Manufacturing Process Innovations for Aluminum Forming, Joining, Castings and Extrusions for Lightweight Structures.
Registration is now open for GALM 2019-the largest automotive lightweighting conference in North America, where delegates will gain strategies for lightweighting body structures for electric and autonomous vehicles to reduce mass, drive costs down, and enable more intelligent designs.