EURO PM2009 in cool Copenhagen

Abstract

Cool was an apt description of the outside temperature in the city of bicycles, the global economic and business situation, and in a different sense the excellent quality of the programme at the EURO PM2009 congress and exhibition, sponsored and organised by EPMA. It was also a occasion to celebrate the 20 years of the European PM Association. falls in shipments of iron and steel powders, as well as copper powders. In 2009, European shipments of metal powders were down about 50% in the fi rst six months, compared with the same period in 2008 (Fig. 1). Looking at statistics for North America and Japan, as well as Europe, only a modest recovery was predicted into 2010, still well down from the peak levels of 2007. Cremer added that automotive scrappage schemes in Europe had provided very modest recovery in new car registrations, and it was hard to say whether these schemes were good or bad in the longer term, although they had probably helped industry avoid an even worse decline; nor was it clear when ‘normal’ market conditions would return. There was a need to market PM as a ‘green’ technology. Turning to the future, Cremer asked ‘who will be the PM industry’s customers in coming years?’ He went on to list industries and applications such as energy generation (wind, solar, hydro, nuclear, etc.), energy storage (hydrogen, fuel cells, rechargeables, etc.), and a variety of electronics applications. He suggested the car of 2030 would be totally different and become part of the ‘age of information’ for the I-generation customers. Cars will somehow be ‘owned’ for mobility, just as phones are ‘owned’ for communication today. PM fi tted in well with this concept as supplier of the gears, rods, fuel cells, and other parts. He concluded by reviewing the 20 years of EPMA and how it had fulfi lled its objectives of promoting PM technology, representing the European PM industry, and developing the future for PM, and parted with a list of tasks for the next 20 years. The second plenary session speaker was Dr Olle Grinder, PM Technology AB, and associate professor at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. His talk on ‘Key areas for development in PM technology’ focused on the areas of PM part production where there had been most change (in weight and volume) over the