About Us
Mission Statement:
Our Definition and Objective
Material and Process Engineering is the technology by which materials are developed or selected and manufacturing processes chosen which will convert those materials into products which meet the design, performance, producibility, quality, and cost effectivity criteria required.
The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE), an international professional member society, provides information on new materials and processing technology either via technical forums, journal publications, or books in which professionals in this field can exchange ideas and air their views. As the only technical society encompassing all fields of endeavor in materials and processes, SAMPE provides a unique and valuable forum for scientists, engineers, and academicians.
SAMPE Strategic Plan
The SAMPE Executive Cabinet has established the vision and direction for the Society for the next six years, in the form of four key goals. These goals outline what is needed for the sustained success of SAMPE.
Goal #1:
SAMPE will be recognized globally as the premier source of technical information by the Materials & Processes (M&P) community. Many SAMPE members are Material or Process Engineers, who have jobs that change very rapidly. One day they may need to determine with what structural material to make a component, the next day they may be tasked to find a replacement for Freon in their cleaning processes. SAMPE was started in 1944 to be the technical society catering to the needs of the M&P community. For us to be successful in that charter, we need to offer technical topics that are timely and at the correct level of technical detail required. These individuals need to be aware of late breaking developments, and evolving regulations. Their level of understanding is to be a jack of trades, but not master of one. We must provide diversified technical programs, and articles in the Journal with the emphasis on comprehensive overviews, listing the pros and cons of materials and processes. We must also continue to promote careers and academic excellence in Materials and Process Engineering with our student chapters and scholarship programs. We will not try to be everything. We will identify those niches M&P engineers need that are not being addressed elsewhere, and do that ourselves. For those technical areas M&P engineers need to know about, but other societies are already addressing, we can provide access to our membership via co-location of meetings, or even advertising and recommending the other conferences. This requires us to stay in tune with our membership, and be flexible in our technical direction to provide the topics of key interest to them.
Goal #2:
SAMPE will be recognized as the premier source of information in breadth and depth for composites technology. With respect to composites, we should be the prime resource including basic understanding through latest technical breakthroughs and applications. We will provide basic education for technology transfer, lead the development of college curricula and projects, plus provide information on current technology developments. The SAMPE Journal of Advanced Materials and our technical programs will be tailored to cover all aspects of composites, including fundamental research.
Goal #3:
SAMPE will be recognized as the primary forum for networking and interaction between those with M&P problems and those that provide M&P solutions. This will be accomplished through a strong, global infrastructure of local chapters, plus global and national meetings and exhibitions. We will provide innovative opportunities for those with M&P problems to voice their needs, and those with solutions to get their word out. We are going to encourage more presentations from M&P engineers with problems to voice their needs, and more opportunities for companies with new solutions to get the word out.
Goal #4:
SAMPE will be valued by our members, exhibitors, and the M&P community as a stable partner, focused on their needs and satisfaction. Our dealings will be prompt and professional, with the goal of 100% customer satisfaction, whether the customer is a member, a corporation, a government agency, or an industry. We will be able to quickly respond to new technology thrusts, and will be proactive in continuous improvement. Our global operations will be seamless, and we will remain financially secure and stable.
Our History:
SAMPE Beginnings
The Society of Aircraft Material and Process Engineers was formed in 1944 by nine Southern California aerospace professionals concerned with the scarcity of materials and the resulting need to economize. They believed that a network of material and process engineers would provide the best means for information exchange and prevent duplication of effort among companies working toward a common goal. They arranged a meeting with the most prominent Southern California material and process engineers to discuss the formation of such a society.
The group met monthly to discuss mutual technical problems. Plastics became a special emphasis, as these were new materials in need of significant technical documentation. Between 1944 and 1959, 15 SAMPE chapters were formed in various parts of the USA.
SAMPE in the Space Age
With the dawning of the Space Age in the late 1950's, members agreed that the best way to obtain an interchange of new material and process information was to form a nationwide organization. Additionally, to reflect its efforts in the Space Age, the national SAMPE organization was formed and renamed the Society of Aerospace Material and Process Engineers.
In its first year as a national organization, the steering committee laid the groundwork for a national symposium, and established local chapter scholarship programs and activities committees. They then developed SAMPE's bylaws, charter, and articles of incorporation which were refined throughout the 1960's.
SAMPE's organization efforts in the previous decade resulted in a landmark accomplishment for the society: its first national symposium held in October 1961. This symposium encompassed all aspects of a new reinforced plastics process called "filament winding." This process continues to be used and improved upon today.
SAMPE became recognized as the reinforced plastics society as a result of the symposium. As boron and graphite fibers were invented and advanced, and a subset of reinforced plastics came to be known as "composites," SAMPE continued to address the progress being made. In the late 1960's, SAMPE held its first Technical Conference. The Conference and Symposia, which take place every Fall and Spring, respectively, have grown to a total yearly attendance of as much as 10,000 professionals.
SAMPE's ever-increasing value to the technical community became evident in the 1960's with the growth of the society's publications. The SAMPE Newsletter, established in 1961, grew from seven to 24 pages within two years due to member-generated technical papers. As the newsletter continued to grow, it was transformed into the SAMPE Journal, a bimonthly publication containing technical papers, editorial features, and international and local SAMPE information. Because the fields of material and process engineering were changing rapidly in 1969, the society introduced a purely technical publication, the SAMPE Quarterly (renamed the Journal of Advanced Materials in October 1993). At that time, SAMPE also initiated the sale of its Symposium and Technical Conferences proceedings to various institutions such as libraries and universities.
SAMPE Broadens its Horizon
In 1973, the organization's name was changed to The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, reflecting membership growth beyond the aerospace industry.
The 1980's brought about unprecedented growth. The first non-USA chapter was founded in Europe. Attendance at the International SAMPE Technical Conference doubled. The International SAMPE Symposium attendance nearly tripled. The decade closed with membership reaching the 12,000 mark.
Present:
SAMPE Today
As of March 1995, there were 36 professional member chapters (10 of which are located outside the US) and 47 student chapter affiliates. At present, there are two overseas student chapters.
SAMPE is governed by an Executive Cabinet of volunteers elected from its members. A Board of Directors representing the professional chapters oversees the Cabinet. Day to day operations of the Society are run by a paid professional staff located at the International Business Office in Covina, California.
The professional chapters are governed similarly by volunteers elected by the local membership. Two foreign chapters, Europe and Japan, are so large that an International Vice President from the chapter presides over the chapter and is a part of the Executive Cabinet. The professional chapters sponsor the student chapters, guiding these young people in their professional development and supplying information on this area of technology.
SAMPE has recognized, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the decline in the military budget, etc., that material and process engineering must be broadened from the somewhat narrow base of defense/aerospace to include all phases of commercial/industrial activities where products containing these materials could be used. In order to promote market diversification, SAMPE is increasing dissemination of information about the actual and potential use of this technology in industries not normally considered as fertile fields for this technology. These include land transportation, construction, marine, biomedical and medical, sports and recreation, and industrial applications. It is SAMPE's opinion that the well being and career development of its members as well as the industry by which they are employed requires that technology transfer be successful.
Business Areas:
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Aircraft/Aerospace/Military
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Composite Components
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Transportation
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Electrical/Electronic
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Leisure/Recreation
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Marine
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Education
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Construction
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Medical
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Appliance/Business Equipment
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Employment Placement
Job Function:
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Management
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Scientist/Technical Staff
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Sales/Marketing
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Engineering Production (Design, M&P, Process Development, Fabrication, Testing, Tooling)
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Consultant
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Education (Faculty)
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QC/QA
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Media
Symposia and Conferences
SAMPE's impact on the technical community is largely due to its international and regional symposia and conferences. As SAMPE's interests and membership base broadened, so has the scope of its meetings. Today, topics include composites, metals, ceramics, fabrication processes, polymers, reinforcements, adhesives, testing and analysis, and environmental issues. A strong emphasis on the market aspects of this technology has been introduced in recent years so that the information provided is not only technically pertinent but also provides an insight into where and how it might be used in increasing the breadth of the technology.
The International Symposium, which is part of the Symposium and Exhibition, is an annual event held in the Spring in the USA. A European Symposium is also held annually. A Japan Symposium occurs biannually and takes place in late November or early December. Both the European and Japanese Symposia are held concurrently with an Exhibition. The International SAMPE Technical Conference is an annual event held in the Fall. In addition, other special conferences may be scheduled (such as an Automotive Conference in 1999), and chapters frequently have Regional Seminars or other special events.
Exhibition
The major Exhibition is held with the Symposium in the Spring and features booths with over 200 companies. The fall Technical Conference may have either booths or tabletop exhibits, depending on location.
