PIAE: the world’s largest congress for automotive plastics experts

PIAE (Plastics in Automotive Engineering), is the world’s largest congress for plastics experts in the automotive industry. For more than 41 years, it has presented current plastics technology applications in the field of interior, exterior, engine, materials and technologies. The new title opens doors for participants from all over the world. In addition, the focus of the event will also be redone and, in the future, should shed particular light on the effects of the automobile megatrends on the industry. The more than 1,500 participants can also visit the affiliated trade exhibition, with over 110 exhibitors from the entire value chain.

Hardly any other material can compete with plastic in terms of efficiency, flexibility and functionality. Due to its properties during production and processing, plastic materials can be precisely adapted to demands regarding design, comfort and function. This is important, because both passenger cars and commercial vehicles are more and more often not only means of transport, but also working places.

PIAE’s focus this year will be on challenges and opportunities that are associated with automotive change. For example, the new requirements for functional plastics for electrified cars will be addressed. In the future, e.g., increasingly jointless design components and glassy, ​​smart surfaces with lighting functions will be used.

With regard to e-mobility, lightweight components are gaining in importance. Among other things, experts at PIAE will be lecturing about the advantages of hybrid materials in the form of fiber-plastic composites (FRPs), which are light and unyielding at the same time and, thus, ideally suited as lightweight materials.

The most important topics of the PIAE are

• Mobility in transition – Why plastics applications benefit
• New vehicle concepts with functional plastics
• Function integration and FRP deployment
• Commercial Vehicles Special: The truck of the future gets more plastic
• Autonomous and Digital – Smart Surfaces in the Interior

PIAE’s new World Café titled ‘Challenges of Automotive and Social Trends to Automotive Plastic Applications in Vehicles’ gives participants the opportunity to discuss possible strategies and insights on various topics in small groups. The contents of the World Café address issues related to autonomous driving, value change and shared mobility.

Facts and figures

• 1,500 congress participants
• 110 exhibitors
• 50 speakers
• World Café ‘Discuss the future of plastics with us!’