The packed programme for EuroPM 2005 Conference and Exhibition in Prague from Monday 3 October to lunchtime on Wednesday 5 October in fact kicks off the day before with an open meeting on the Sunday afternoon dealing with the proposed European chemicals law, REACH. This important piece of legislation will have profound effects on the PM industry if it comes into force in its current proposed form. The raft of complex rules and the 1000 or so proposed amendments is currently being considered by the European Parliament.

The European Powder Metallurgy Association has been very active in constructive opposition to the proposals and this session will be well worth while attending for all those arriving in Prague by Sunday lunchtime.

The specialist workshops that run alongside the conference provide real focuses of interest aside from the mainstream.

A two-part Titanium Workshop on Monday features George Chen, one of the inventors of the Fray Farthing Chen (FFC) process for extracting metals that is currently being closely looked at by the powder metal industry to see if it lives up to its promise of increased quality and reduced cost (See Metal Powder Report, September 2002 and July/August 2005). He is followed by Malcolm Ward-Close whose group at QinetiQ has been working on the commercialisation of the process. There have been real difficulties for industries such as aerospace in getting quality and price in the same ballpark, but powder metallurgy has the potential to cut out the vast waste involved in machining components from titanium billets.

On Tuesday morning the nanotechnology Workshop organised by Fraunhofer's Volkmar Richter offers presentations and discussion centred around nano-aluminium and nano-hardmetals.

Dusk falls on one of the most romatic scenes in Europe - the bridges over the River Vltava in Prague.

The EPMA Awards Lunch on Tuesday provides some relief from sessions and workshops while highlighting the industry’s very real technical skills. The prestigious EPMA Innovation Awards are again this year sponsored by Metal Powder Report and have attracted entries in categories for Components, Materials, Production Equipment and International.

The Wednesday Modelling Workshop overshoots the end of the conference and exhibition and gives participants the chance to hear the results of the four-year Dienet Thematic Network that finished in February and to look at its recommendations, including priority areas for future research.

Out of hours, delegates have a wealth of entertainment choices in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Prague was largely undamaged by the Second World War, and the cityscape is stunning. Its compact medieval centre remains an evocative maze of cobbled lanes, ancient courtyards, dark passages and churches beyond number, all watched over by the imposing bulk of Hdracany Castle, traditionally home to the ruler.

Since the collapse of communism in 1989, Prague has become one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations. Its traditional pubs and eateries have been augmented by a wave of gourmet restaurants, cocktail bars and trendy cafes - though you can still feast on pork and dumplings washed down with a beer.

The oldest evidence of human habitation in the Prague valley dates from around 6000 BC. “Good King Wenceslas” of Christmas-carol fame (he was actually a duke) made Christianity the state religion of Bohemia in the 930s and he remains the patron saint of the Czech Republic. It was under the rule of Charles IV
( 1346-78) that Prague truly came into its own, becoming one of the continent's largest and most prosperous cities, acquiring its fine Gothic face and landmark buildings like Charles University, Charles Bridge and St Vitus Cathedral.

• Two new EPMA Sectoral Groups will be launched at Prague with open meetings. The European Structural Parts Group (ESPG) will promote the interests of the structural parts manufacturing sector, while the EuroPMRADNET supports PM interests of PM research and development in the European academic sector. The EuroPMRADNET meeting is scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday, 2 October. There will also be an open meeting of the already established EuroMIM Group, which covers the interests of the metal injection moulding sector supply chain.

• A social programme taking in tours of Hdracany Castle, "Old Town Treasures", the Nizbor glass factory and the Pilsner Urquell Brewery can be arranged via the EPMA: www.epma.com

Steel as a theme

Around 3000 people are expected to brave the chill winds of a Northern European winter to visit Stahl 2005 in Dusseldorf on November 10 and 11.
Visitors will have the opportunity to hear presentations on environmental considerations for makers and users of steel, the security of raw materials supply and the factors that contribute to business success in an increasingly globalised world. The event will be staged at the Congress Center Dusseldorf. Details can be obtained at www.stahl-online.de