SAMPE Europe 2026 brought more than 300 delegates from 23 countries to Lecce, Italy, for two days of technical presentations, industry insight and discussion about the future of advanced materials and composites manufacturing.

With over 150 oral and poster presentations, the conference provided a broad overview of current research and industrial developments. Yet, across the programme, a common theme emerged: the importance of translating advances in materials and processing into reliable, repeatable and commercially viable manufacturing technologies.

For Ali Aravand, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast and SAMPE UK & Ireland Committee Member, this was one of the most significant messages to emerge from the event. The relatively compact format also worked particularly well, combining substantial technical content with opportunities for discussion between academia and industry.

Sustainability Meets Industrialisation

Sustainability featured prominently throughout the conference, but what was particularly interesting was how closely it was integrated into discussions about manufacturing rather than being treated as a separate challenge.

Thermoplastic composites continued to attract considerable attention, alongside recycling and circularity, automation, additive manufacturing, joining and bonding, process monitoring, and the growing use of digital technologies and AI.

The opening keynote presentations helped establish this industrial perspective. Stefano Corvaglia and Fabrizio Leone from Leonardo Aerostructures discussed Leonardo’s strategy for sustainable aviation. At the same time, Antonio De Carlo from MAGROUP/Salver explored the progression from established industrial capabilities towards the next generation of aerospace technologies.

Together, these presentations reinforced the importance of balancing innovation with qualification, manufacturability and production requirements.

For Ali, whose research interests include thermoplastic composites and advanced manufacturing, the increasing integration of materials, process understanding, automation and digital prediction was particularly notable.

Digitalisation and AI are increasingly appearing alongside materials and manufacturing research, rather than being discussed as separate subjects. This integration could prove important as manufacturers seek to improve process control, reduce development times and establish greater confidence in component performance and repeatability.

The challenge is no longer to demonstrate that a material or process is technically possible, but to establish how it can be implemented consistently and at the production rates required by industry.

Recognising the Next Generation

Supporting students and early-career professionals remains an important part of SAMPE’s international activities, and the 41st International SAMPE Europe Students Seminar brought together sixteen MSc and PhD researchers from ten countries.

SAMPE UK & Ireland was represented by two researchers, Zikang Shi from the University of Manchester and Monis Luqman Mohammed from the University of Exeter.

Zikang presented “3D Compaction Printing in Carbon Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastics with Transient Thermal Modelling,” while Monis explored “Understanding the LMPAEK’s Crystallisation-Mechanical Performance Relationship Through Thermal Fractionation.”

Both delivered excellent oral presentations that were well received by delegates. Although neither progressed to the next stage of the competition, their contributions demonstrated the quality of composites research taking place at UK universities.

The Master’s award went to Ivaylo Lazarov (University of Twente/TPRC) for research into laser-induced amorphisation for surface tailoring of C/PEKK composites. At the same time, Nilufar Balighieh (EPFL) received the PhD award for work on inter-tow spacing and dual-scale flow in liquid composite moulding preforms.

A separate poster competition, featuring nine entries, was won by Niklas Kube (Institut für Textiltechnik Augsburg/Technische Hochschule Augsburg) for research into manufacturing carbon-fibre violin fingerboards as an alternative to wood, an interesting example of composites innovation beyond traditional industrial applications.

Connecting Research with Production

Alongside the technical programme, delegates had opportunities to visit industrial and research facilities, including Vestas Blades Italia, Leonardo Aerostructures, Leonardo Helicopters, Avio Aero, MAGROUP/Salver and CETMA/ENEA.

Ali joined the visit to MAGROUP/Salver in Brindisi, where delegates saw aerospace composite manufacturing, inspection and assembly at production scale.

The visit provided valuable context for the conference discussions, demonstrating the practical challenges of translating new manufacturing methods and materials into industrial operations, where quality assurance, repeatability and production requirements are critical.

The Value of the SAMPE Community

While the technical programme is central to SAMPE Europe, the opportunities for discussion and collaboration remain equally valuable.

Lecce brought together universities, research organisations, materials and equipment suppliers, and major industrial users, creating an environment where diverse perspectives could be shared. The conference’s relatively compact format encouraged interaction, while the social programme, including the conference dinner at Torre del Parco, provided further opportunities to develop professional relationships.

For Ali, some of the most useful conversations took place outside the formal presentations, reinforcing the importance of bringing together different parts of the composites community.

As materials, manufacturing processes and digital technologies become increasingly interconnected, collaboration between research and industry will be essential to accelerating their adoption.

Events such as SAMPE Europe demonstrate the continuing value of professional communities in facilitating that exchange, supporting the next generation and helping promising technologies progress from research to industrial reality.

Find out more about SAMPE UK & Ireland and its activities at www.sampe.org.uk.