Bar Harbor Conference Focuses on Wood-Plastic Composites
Contact: Lech Muszynski, AEWC, 207-581-2102, lech_muszynski@umit.maine.eduNick Houtman, Dept. of Public Affairs, 207-581-3777, houtman@maine.edu
ORONO– From road bridges and cars to outdoor decks at home, composite products made of wood and plastic are becoming more common in every day life. Scientists and engineers doing research in this industry will present their latest results in a conference at the Regency Hotel in Bar Harbor on May 14.
The conference is sponsored by the Northeast Section of the Forest Products Society and the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites (AEWC) Center at the University of Maine. Speakers will address the economic and technical aspects of wood composite product development.
AEWC Director Habib Dagher will open the meeting. Among the speakers will be representatives of Correct Building Products, Inc. of Biddeford, Maine; Kadant Composites, Inc. of Bedford, Massachusetts; and the Ford Motor Company.
Demand for wood and other natural fiber polymer composites materials increased from less than 100,000 tons in 1995 to more than 600,000 tons in 2001.
Four companies — Crompton/Davis-Standard, K-Tron America, Correct Building Products and Farrel Corporation — provided financial support. Continuing education credits are available for members of the American Institute of Architects, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Society of American Foresters.
More information about the meeting is available on the Internet at www.aewc.maine.edu/fpsc or from AEWC assistant scientist Lech Muszynski, 207-581-2102.