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The full programme for both event days is released with discounted early bird tickets available. IOM3 saw a last minute rush on the call for papers deadline which passed 16 December 2022. In total the organising committee accepted 80 oral papers, these included the plenary sessions, committee-invited papers and sponsors’ papers. A further 64 poster papers were also accepted. Discounted tickets for RubberCon 2023 are available, but for a limited time only. Tickets for IOM3 members, IRCO members and non-members are available at a discount of 20%. To take advantage of this offer tickets should be booked before 23:59 on 31 March 2023. The full programme for both event days (10 – 11 May 2023) is now available via the online RubberCon 2023 event page. The 2023 programme focuses on the use of elastomers and elastomeric materials for a wide range of products and applications, these include:

• Elastomer product innovations including the following sectors: agriculture; medical; sport, leisure, and consumer products; energy generation including nuclear; latex products; electric vehicles; NVH challenges; extreme temperature, pressure or environment applications and other novel emerging applications.
• Material developments including: polymers with a focus on novel or speciality elastomers, elastomers for extreme conditions, thermoplastic elastomers, functionalised elastomers, self-healing elastomers and elastomer foams and gels; fillers and additives including nanoscale or functionalised fillers; novel and innovative materials.
• Material processing including: smart manufacturing (industry 4.0); process innovation; additive manufacture; cure chemistry and kinetics; rubber mixing.
• Sustainability including: bio-derived materials; materials recycling; reduced carbon emissions during manufacture and in service.
• Characterisation and testing of materials and products including: thermal and viscoelastic behaviour; failure mechanisms including ageing, fatigue and chemical degradation; lifetime prediction.
• Modelling including: constitutive modelling of the materials and product design; tribology, friction and wear; process modelling and optimisation; systems design.
• Smart materials including: strain or environment sensing; actuation; electro active polymers; soft robotics; intelligent traceability in product development.

Prof James Busfield CEng FIMMM, RubberCon 2023 Chair, said, ‘RubberCon’s return to the UK in 2023 is very welcome. It is the first global rubber conference to be in the UK since the hugely successful International Rubber conference in 2019. There are huge challenges in the rubber industry related to improving our environmental credentials, reducing our dependence on unsustainable materials and reducing the pollution we generate. On top of this we are asking for elastomers to work in new applications related to electrification of transportation, the expansion of the hydrogen economy, energy harvesting and energy storage. All of which present new challenges for the industry. Some applications such as materials used in geothermal drilling or seals in the nuclear industry are also creating a demand for elastomers materials that can work in increasingly hostile environments. All of which means that we have a wonderful opportunity to showcase the very best innovations that are being made both in academia and by industry to address all these needs’. Posted by IOM3 – Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining