| Advanced Composites Group provides a unique combination of composite materials, design, and manufacturing expertise, which is available to customers worldwide. |
Archived Marine Sector News - 2007
Editors - please refer to the Notes to Editors for background information on Umeco plc and its operating divisions.
A Cut Above the Rest - ACG’S MTM57 Aesthetically Applied to Stämpfli’s Skiff - October 2007
Alinghi – Another America’s Cup 2007 Success
Trend Marine - Making Light Work
Innovative Prepreg Systems for the Marine Industry - JEC Magazine Article - September 2007
Marine Sector Specialists Visit McLaren Technology Centre
Quiet but Polished - Seahorse Article - July 2007 (large PDF files)
Good Luck to Alinghi in the Defence of the 32nd America's Cup
ACG Alinghi Official Supplier for 2007 Defence Campaign
ABN AMRO One - Male or Female . . . What's the Difference?
| Other News | 2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
Older |
| Marine |  |
|
|
|
|
Atlas 2000 Carbon Fibre Davit - November 2007
Atlas Carbon Davits, produced by Jeremy Rogers Yachts Ltd., in Milford-on-Sea, UK, are an indispensable aid, and all the more so because of their low weight, which simplifies assembly and storage.
The new Atlas 2000 carbon fibre davit, which is made using Advanced Composite Group's (ACG) VTM®260 (Variable Temperature Moulding) prepregs and ZPREG®260, can be used where a longer reach is required to lift heavy equipment to and from the dockside, while still remaining totally portable. Lifting is made even easier by the ability of the Atlas 2000 to rotate through a full 360 degrees.
With the capability to lift and manoeuvre loads up to 500kg (1100lbs), items such as engines, generators, service equipment and life rafts can be picked up with relative ease. The Atlas 2000, which is available in both manual or electric (12V or 24V DC) configuration, also doubles as a life-saving device in 'man overboard' situations.
As you might have expected, all Atlas davits are CE approved and, in most cases, can be mounted onto a bulwark or through the deck. The location socket can be sealed with a watertight cap when the davit is stowed away.
This is just one of a range of davits produced using ACG's advanced prepregs. Depending on the model, davits weigh between 15kg (33lbs) to 22kg (48lbs), making them extremely portable.
For further information about the complete range of Atlas davits, visit Jeremy Rogers Yachts distributor's web site at www.superyachtdoc.com.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
A Cut Above the Rest - ACG’S MTM57 Aesthetically Applied to Stämpfli’s Skiff - October 2007
Lustrous, elegant, rigid, lightweight and streamline are just some of the adjectives that can be applied to describe Stämpfli International’s ribbless skiffs. These, the essential prerequisites of a superior competition skiff, are realised by the application of ACG’s MTM®57 prepreg, which is expertly sculptured as a honeycomb sandwich construction in a female mould. Autoclave cured under vacuum, the shell and cockpit are formed in separate single shots, with both parts being bonded during the final construction process. ACG’s MTM57 epoxy matrix resin provides a combination of low tack for optimised handling and high-flow and wet-out, all of which speed up the manufacturing process, even on heavy-weight fabrics. It also develops excellent Tg and valuable impact performance.
With the composite carbon elements of the 7.95m skiff weighting in at a meagre 7.7kg, this lightweight boat certainly boasts character, style, distinction and, essentially, medal-winning pace.
Stämpfli’s skiffs, which are made to their own exclusive shapes by HS Composite in Horw (Switzerland), are supplied with a carbon wing rigger as opposed to standard aluminium tube out-riggers. These skiffs, which have been in production for over four years now, have been widely used by top internationals at the last two World Championships, with more than ten crews winning medals in each year.
Founded in 1896 by Johann Friedrich August Stampfli as ‘Stämpfli Racing Boats‘, the first boat was made in a workshop on the banks of Lake Wollishofen, Zurich, Switzerland. However, renamed as Stämpfli International in 1991, production of the composite boats moved to the UK in 1993, with the first prepreg composite carbon fibre wing rigger being developed and added in 1998.
Images copyright of photographer - Johnathan Heyer.
ACG Official Supplier to Ericsson Racing Team, one of the strongest teams in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 - October 2007
Photo: copyright of Oskar Kihlborg
ACG, part of the Composites Division of Umeco plc, is proud to announce that it has signed an agreement to become Official Supplier of Composite Material to The Ericsson Racing Team in the run-up to the Volvo Ocean Race, which is scheduled to start in Alicante, Spain October 2008. While it may seem like early days, this is actually far from the truth. Ericsson Racing Team recently acquired the winning yacht from the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006, ABN AMRO One (ABN 1) for preparation purposes. It is currently being used to put the team through its paces for training and speed tests, extending the team’s commitment to develop a successful 2008-2009 campaign.
It is interesting to note, from a team and supplier standpoint, that ABN 1 also used ACG’s VTM®260 series prepregs and VTA®260 film adhesive. Even more remarkable is that Ericsson Racing Team is using the services of Killian Bushe as construction manager, i.e. the same person who headed the team that built ABN 1. It is no coincidence really, as this gentleman has yacht building in his veins. Moreover, the construction plan for the Ericsson boat is based on an exclusive design by Juan Kouyoumdjian, one of the world’s foremost designers of racing and cruising sailboats, and also the designer of ABN 1.
Born in Cork, Ireland, in 1955, Killian Bushe has been at the forefront of composite boatbuilding technology since the early eighties and has produced many high quality, light-weight-racing, cup-winning yachts, ranging in size from 40 to 85 feet. Among many successful projects is the Volvo 60 Illbruck, which was built in Leverkusen Germany, and went on to win the 2001-2002 Volvo Ocean Race. As we have seen, Bushe also built ABN 1, the winner of Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06, but he also built its sister yacht, ABN AMRO Two, which finished 4th in the same race. Killian also built the new version 5 Americas Cup yacht for Victory Challenge (SWE), which was manufactured in Gothenburg. Killian has been appointed as Ericsson Racing Team’s Construction Manager. Both Bushe and his team see this as a new and exciting challenge.
Ericsson Racing Team commenced building its two new VO 70 yachts this Spring, just 200 meters from Ericsson’s corporate headquarters outside Stockholm, thus confirming the company’s desire to share its race campaign with its staff, partners and customers. The first step was to build the female mould that would be used to form the composite carbon-fibre hull. This stage, which required great precision and attention to detail, was concluded in the Spring.
Killian Bushe is quoted as saying, “The build site is state-of-the-art. Since November, we have worked hard at putting the right team in place and getting all the necessary tools ready. This includes the two ovens - one of them as big as the boat (25 meters) - and a smaller one for all the components. It feels good to get started on the construction; we are looking forward to this new challenge.
After the build of the hull and the deck, the construction specialists will then add the systems, the electronics and thousands of other details that will allow the boat to sail around the world. The launch of the new Ericsson Racing Team yacht is planned for late 2007. ACG’s VTM260 series of epoxy resin matrices is a new generation of long outlife, flexible cure temperature formulations, which can be applied to a wide range of reinforcements and adapted to a variety of low cost vacuum-bag composite processes. This series offers extended outlife up to 30 days, an absolute essential characteristic for large-scale projects such as yacht building.
Ericsson Racing Team consists of two teams, one International and one Nordic. Anders Lewander will be the skipper of the Nordic boat, but following John Kostecki’s decision to leave, the skipper for the International boat has yet to be appointed. One senior team member is reported to have said, “We want the best people. We need sailors who have both the experience and the desire to compete in a hard environment and give it their all. But, more than anything, we want to be a real team and we want to work with people who have the ability to integrate themselves into a group.” Anders Lewander is a highly skilled sailor and sail maker, but has no experience in the Volvo Ocean Race. It is understood that Lewander and the rest of Ericsson Racing Team are convinced that, when the training period is over, the salty old veteran Volvo Ocean Race seadogs will have to watch out.
ACG is poised ready with the materials and technological knowledge to provide technically superior materials to ensure that the expertise of Team Ericsson Racing is given the best possible opportunity to win the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
Photo: Courtesy of Oskar Kihlborg
Alinghi – Another America’s Cup 2007 Success - September 2007
Extract from ACG's Technology Centre Report
Photos: copyright of Ivo Rovira/Alinghi
ACG is ‘doubly’ proud of its role as ‘Official Supplier’ of composite materials to Alinghi, the outright, back-to-back winner of the 32nd America’s Cup, which took place in Valencia, Spain between the 1st June and 7th July this year. This is the second time that Alinghi has won The Cup, having taken it by storm in the 31st America’s Cup in 2003, the first European team to do so in the 150-year history of this event. The count is now at two, each time with ACG as ‘Official Supplier’.
The winning yacht ‘SUI 100’, built in Vevey, Switzerland, used a range of ACG’s proven and tested LTF318, VTM®260 and MTM®49-3 materials. ACG’s ZPREG® LTF318 surfacing system and rapid lay-up technology offer very high surface quality tooling under vacuum-only processing, while VTM260 series prepregs and adhesives were used for the hull and deck.VTM260 offers optimised low pressure vacuum-only processing, flexible cure temperatures between a modest 65°C (149°F) and 120°C (248°F) with ‘step-ahead’ cure resin and controlled flow rheology to optimise fibre wet-out. This approach was used for all Alinghi yachts built by the Decision Yard.
Where rules permitted, ACG’s MTM®49-3, the 1st choice for Formula One chassis, was used for a number of key structural elements, where it provided superior compression performance.
Taking advantage of ACG's vast experience in the highly competitive and technical world of Formula One, Alinghi approached the development of their material and process specifications in a similar fashion to that of leading edge automotive companies; they were thorough and detailed, continually seeking optimum performance from structures that would ultimately provide the technical edge over the competition, which is exactly what they achieved this year.
The ACG and Alinghi alliance began in 2001, when they worked on an extensive programme of data generation, and test panel production, prior to the ultimate manufacture of the earlier SUI 64 and SUI 75 boats. This was followed through to the team’s success in the 2003 challenge, where ACG and Alinghi developed innovative ideas for tooling and structures on the new Version 5 Rule of the America's Cup Class yachts.
As the number one developer of innovative materials in the performance race yacht market, ACG was pleased to assist Alinghi by being part of the jigsaw that, together, constructed the winning team.
Photo: copyright of Ivo Rovira/Alinghi
Drawing parallels with how ACG operates in the Formula One and performance yacht markets, ACG has provided Alinghi with comprehensive technical support direct from its new Technology Centre and, when required, right at the heart of the build.
It is ACG’s proactive approach to materials development and technical support that has seen it establish itself as the leading composites technology supplier in Formula One, the America’s Cup and other competitive environments and events.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
New VTM260 and MTM Series Matrix systems complete ACG range of Next Generation low pressure moulding systems - October 2007
With two America’s Cups and a Volvo Round the World race in the bag, the Advanced Composites Group’s (ACG’s) Variable Temperature Moulding VTM®260 series must be ‘the’ resin system of choice for the performance boat builder.
ACG, based in Heanor, UK, part of the Composites Division of Umeco plc, offers this notable series of prepregs with a blend of features. Ease of handling in the workshop, long freezer outlife and controlled flow combine with a broad processing window - offering 65°C low temperature initial cures or reduced total cycle, to make ACG’s VTM®260 series resins one of the most user-friendly prepreg systems available. Process innovations, such as ZPREG® partial impregnation technology for both surface and structural plies, plus a supporting range of adhesives and gelcoats, have further enhanced the usability of these products.
Experience gained working with the world’s premier boat builders has highlighted how ACG’s resins can be further improved. Late 2007 will see the launch of a new range of enhanced, next generation prepregs. VTM®267 and its variants will offer improved workshop handling through reduced temperature sensitivity and controlled tack levels, while optimised flow profiles will improve fibre wet out. This will reduce void levels to improve laminate quality and also allow the impregnation of much heavier reinforcement fabrics.
For applications where the flexible cure profile of the VTM® system is not required, new 120°C curing matrix systems will also be made available. These will offer the same enhancements in ACG’s Medium Temperature Moulding (MTM®) systems, which are already popular with spar makers. The MTM®257 and MTM®58 variants complete the range of next generation of ACG out-of-autoclave, low pressure moulding systems now offered across the composite industry, including the aerospace, automotive and marine sectors.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
Wild Lady takes to the Water - September 2007
Designed by Sebastien Schmid and build by yacht builders Ch Wilke & Co. GmbH, in their shipyard near Leissigen, Switzerland, ‘Wild Lady’, code-named ‘project ‘Wilke 49’, was on the waters of Lake Constance for just a few days before it participated in its first race and glided past the post to take second place!
What was astounding then, and probably an indication of further successes to come, was the fact that there had been little time to trim the gear or fine tune this 15-metre yacht in readiness for the race.
As anticipated, Wild Lady went on to take a 2nd place out of an incredible 382 boats in the Rund-Um regatta. Taking it to the next stage, Wild Lady took 1st place in the New Technologies class at the West-Ost regatta, which took the boats across Lake Constance from Constance to Bregenz. Our congratulations go to skipper Wolfgang Palm, his crew and all at Wilke. Wolfgang and his crew chose to sail on the German side of the lake, taking profit of the better wind conditions, and lifting the prize for their efforts.
‘Wild Lady’ has been crafted from ACG’s VTM®260 series carbon prepreg, processed by oven/vacuum bag curing. Because of its length, Christof Wilke purpose built a new oven to accommodate the structure.
Ch Wilke & Co., founded by Yvonne and Christof Wilke (pictured) in 1986, was the first yard to be built in Faulensee on Lake Thun in beautiful Berner Oberland. In 1993, the boatyard relocated to its current setting in Leissigen, just a few miles from the old site.
The yard originally focused on the building of one-off lake-racers, and the maintenance of existing craft on the lake. However, following worldwide success in the building of international 5.5m yachts, and Finn-masts, the focus of the business shifted towards the manufacture of high-performance composite yachts. It would seem that more successful yachts will emerge from this yard in the coming years.
Coming from a boatyard with this pedigree, it will not be long before this ‘Wild Lady’ experiences more victories in her class, so we can expect to see her in the press again at some time in the near future.
Please visit the Wilke web site @ http://www.wilke.ch/ for more information.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
Trend Marine - Making Light Work - September 2007
ACG’s VTM® (Variable Temperature Moulding) carbon epoxy prepregs have helped British marine glazing manufacturer Trend Marine Products of Catfield, Norfolk, UK, to develop a line of light and strong sliding sunroofs that have opened up new design possibilities for a growing number of production boatbuilders.
The demand for open-top yachting has been in great demand in recent years. However, boat owners want the security of being able to close the roof quickly when the weather takes a turn for the worse while still taking maximum advantage of whatever natural light is available. As the fashion for open express cruisers continues to demand ever-larger production/semi-production boats, the requirement for larger sunroofs has placed increasing technical demands on boatbuilders and their suppliers.
Initially, for Trend, the main problem was to produce an unsupported, gently curved structure that would carry a large sheet of heavy safety or laminated glass. However, the structure had to be light enough so that it didn’t raise the boat’s centre of gravity, while also being rigid and slim enough to slide away neatly out of sight when the roof was open. Moreover, it had to do all of this without encroaching on the available headroom.
Working hand-in-hand, ACG and Trend developed a solution using one of ACG’s custom-engineered VTM carbon fibre and epoxy prepregs, one that ticked all of the above boxes. With this solution in hand, the company now produces opening roofs of up to 3x3m using ACG’s VTM carbon fibre laminate with glazed panels.
This project had proved to be so successful that, what started four years ago as a small sideline to the Trend’s main business of producing windscreens, windows, portlights and glazed doors for powercruisers, has become an important new manufacturing stream.
Robin Thatcher, Trend’s Technical and Sales Director, says, “Our sunroof business has been gathering pace – almost to a drum beat. Sunroofs are the fastest-growing part of our business now. In units, we were making about 150 a year, but with our increased capability on the bespoke carbon fibre side, we are now looking at producing 200 or 300 roofs a year. This business now accounts for between 5 to 10 per cent of our turnover.” Furthermore, Mr. Thatcher states, “Sales of all Trend products are now approaching £20 million a year". On the sunroof side, the lengthening list of customers includes all of the UK’s largest powerboat builders as well as Spain’s Rodman and France’s Bénéteau group, where it now supplies roofs for five boat lines.
More recently, motoryacht builders in North America have also become customers for Trend’s sunroofs. These include one major US production boatbuilder that is due to launch a new powercruiser model later this year. This will have a large sheer glazed, double curved and tinted sunroof mounted on a light carbon composite grid.
The single most important factor in Trend’s success with sunroofs has been its ability to mould relatively large, yet light and strong structures in carbon fibre composite. Here, Mr. Thatcher acknowledges that the composites engineering expertise of ACG played an essential role in this advancement. Mr. Thatcher states, “Trend wouldn’t be making sunroofs in carbon fibre if it wasn’t for ACG.”
Four years ago, Trend was building sunroofs for a leading European powercruiser builder using a carbon prepreg from another supplier. However, because things were not going to plan and the laminate was not performing as required, ACG was asked to help.
Initially, ACG felt that the original product was over-designed so new tooling was manufactured. This included a plug incorporating an air channel to remove air bubbles from the laminate. The basic design was also readdressed to lighten the product and produce a flex-free arch.
The carbon epoxy laminate that ACG developed for Trend used unidirectional and 45-degree biaxial mat and some woven materials to create a triaxial structure. This took a considerable amount of weight and material out of the structure. The resin was also reformulated to reduce its inherent tack. A urethane gelcoat (Scott Bader’s Crestomer formulation), which bonds with epoxy, was also employed in the manufacturing process.
With ACG’s assistance, Trend now produced a range of carbon fibre sunroofs, confirming that ACG’s VTM carbon fibre prepregs were the correct route to take from day one.
Demand for Trend’s carbon epoxy sunroofs continues to grow, indicating that the message has been accepted by leading boatbuilders.
Based on an article by Robert Greenwood and first published in the European Boatbuilder June/July 2007.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
Innovative Prepreg Systems for the Marine Industry - JEC Magazine Article - September 2007
The Advanced Composite Group (ACG) may be a marine sector composite material supplier that you may not immediately recognise, but the Group has been in operation for over 30 years, with its growth as a major player in the composites industry shrouded behind the glamour of the Formula One motor racing world. The early days of ACG saw it making composite race car parts, i.e. skirts, body panels, etc., but the Group soon realised that, if the full potential of these new and exciting materials could be realised, a new generation of safer, faster, composite race cars could become reality, while also initiating an era of boundless design freedom.
Functional, aerodynamic and aesthetically pleasing structures previously un-imaginable made from other materials . . . what more could an engineer want?
- high specific stiffness and strength
- low weight
- tailored mechanical properties
- environmental and corrosion resistance
- low coefficient of thermal expansion
- vibration damping
- fatigue resistance
- simple repair procedures
To the uninitiated, ACG designed and build the first ever composite race car chassis and continued to build cars until the mid 90’s. However, the early builds only highlighted the deficiencies of the materials available at that time, so ACG embarked on a parallel track of development as a provider of bespoke composite solutions. Align this with the prepreg technology favoured by the aerospace industry and so began ACG’s 20-year domination of material supply into Formula One.
What exactly is a prepreg? Basically, a prepreg consists of a fibre reinforcement, i.e. carbon, glass, etc., in unidirectional (aligned) or fabric (woven or multiaxial) form, impregnated at a pre-determined level with a resin matrix. This stringent control of resin content and dispersion eliminates the risk of fibre content variation, which ultimately controls laminate performance, while the development of resin rich areas can have an adverse effect on material performance. Problems such as these can plague processes such as wet lay-up and vacuum infusion, perhaps even detracting from final material performance and, while a number of material ‘enhancements’ have recently been developed to aid processing, these are often detrimental to final component performance in terms of the achievable fibre fraction and component weight.
An additional benefit to using prepregs is that they remove the vagaries of resin chemistry; all formulation and mixing is, in effect, carried out under controlled conditions, with no further handling of potentially harmful chemicals. Consequently, all health and safety issues are minimized. Similarly, resin type, content and dispersion within the reinforcement can be fine tuned to suit specific process requirements. It is even possible to introduce air paths within the reinforcement architecture, thereby allowing three dimensional air release during the early stages of cure, as seen in ACG’s ZPREG® formats. Such a process can reduce the risk of void establishment in the final laminate or promote higher quality surface finishes. The inherent prepreg ‘tack’ can be tuned to meet specific requirements, allowing accurate positioning of the reinforcement on a mould and promoting a high level of fibre orientation control with no risk of fibre movement or wash-out during processing.
ACG has always believed that this should be taken to the next level, evolving from simply supplying ‘stock’ material and holding large stocks of reinforcement fibre through to being able to offer bespoke product formats on short lead times, a philosophy born out of the company’s relationship with Formula One.
ACG also believes in supporting and demonstrating its own technology. Recent programmes have seen a cross-over from Formula One into America’s Cup spars through to rapid tooling systems from aerospace being used in both Volvo 70 and America’s Cup builds.
So, what you get is a fully compounded reactive system ready to laminate, possibly even custom formatted as necessary to meet the requirements of a particular project.
Once completed, a prepreg laminate requires a combination of pressure and heat to consolidate the layers and initiate the resin curing reaction, which usually meant resorting to a high temperature autoclave - basically a large pressurized oven. Typical curing conditions would be 120°C and a pressure of 3 to 6 atmospheres (bar).
While the use of an autoclave remained the ultimate route to high performance components, it was seen as a barrier to the wider adoption and application of composite materials in other industries.
Innovative resin formulation has always been at the heart of ACG technology; a modern Formula One race car could feature up to eight different resins within its structure.
ACG has always manufactured ‘standard’ 120°C curing prepregs, but an early advancement in this area was a unique technology known as ‘step ahead’ curing. This technology is centred on ACG’s Low Temperature Moulding (LTM®) processing resins. These resins, which are formulated to cure at low temperature, can be transformed by further heat treatment into highly robust structures. In effect, these are resins that develop a higher level of performance in terms of mechanical and thermal characteristics than would be expected from a particular curing condition. This enhanced stability allows initial curing to take place at 50 to 60°C, thereby utilising relatively low cost tooling. The cure can then continue to a much higher level, with stability still running ahead of the cure temperature, but with the part now out of the mould and with no risk of distortion. This concept was first exploited in ACG’s LTM® tooling systems. The resins developed for this purpose exhibited resistance to extremely high temperatures, but with their inherent brittleness making them totally unsuitable for structural applications. ACG’s determination to move forward in other arenas brought about further developments to this pioneering system, introducing toughness and allowing low pressure processing, essential characteristics that have made prepreg technology a reality for the marine industry.
That's not to say these materials were perfect; material is stored frozen to maximize life, but the reactivity of a particular prepreg system and its minimum curing temperature are inextricably linked. Therefore, low temperature curing means a short working life, which in turn limits the project size or dictates the speed at which you must work. This was less than ideal, but some early projects did show that these materials were attractive to the marine industry, this being reflected in a number of boats built at that time, including an 18ft Skiff, an Ultimate 30 and an Open 50. Race boats are not the only specialist area producing extreme one-offs. LTM® systems have also found use on a number of high profile aerospace projects, including Scaled Composites’ Spaceship One and Global Flyer.
Interest in high performance composites was growing and there was an obvious need for more user-friendly, low temperature, low pressure moulding solutions. Enter ACG’s Variable Temperature Moulding (VTM®) system. The basic chemistry is derived from the LTM® system, offering optimised low temperature, low pressure processing, flexible cure temperatures between a modest 65°C and 120°C with ‘step ahead’ cure, and not requiring the use of an autoclave and a working life of one month. Resin rheology is controlled to optimise fibre wet-out, but not at the expense of excessive resin bleed. The myth still persists that resin must be bled from a component to maximise properties. ACG has always advocated ‘net processing’ - what goes in comes out, resin content and material properties remain pre-determined and controlled. Why buy resin just to throw it away?
The VTM® range has now grown into a family of structural, tooling, surfacing and Gelcoat systems, offering the marine industry high performance and surface quality via low cost processing routes.
In 2001, the America’s Cup was rolling into action, but with new players and new thinking. Having turned to Formula One for inspiration, Alinghi, the European challenger, was there to win, not to run with the rest of the pack. The rest is history. SUI 64 became the first major success for ACG’s VTM® system. Throughout the build of the SUI 64 and her sister SUI 75, ACG chemists and engineers worked alongside the build team and EPFL, a Swiss research group, developing materials, process methodologies and cementing a close working relationship with the personnel in the Decision Yard, where developments have continued to be made to this day.
Despite the VTM® system now being firmly established as the performance system of choice in the marine industry, ACG continued to scrutinize way in which prepregs can be made more attractive, particularly to series builders.
Composite materials are not cheap, but in the production environment the material/labour cost balance can be even more critical, so the viewpoint of ‘less is more’ may be the justification. Developments such as ACG’s ZPREG® rapid laminating and surface ply systems have been readily embraced by the marine industry, as has an epoxy prepreg compatible gel coat, developed in association with Scott Bader Co. Ltd., and prepreg components are making significant inroads into the production boat market.
As race boat designers strive to meet tighter and tighter performance envelopes, focus has been concentrated on the tooling techniques adopted for one-off race boat builds. Traditionally, boats are built over a male plug and the final shape achieved with a combination of filler, a great deal of hard work, and with a price to be paid in labour time and additional weight. Continually striving to advance technology and techniques, ACG took yet another giant step forward and pioneered a process for the rapid manufacture of prepreg tooling, one which combined its ZPREG® surfacing and rapid lay-up technologies. In a recent interview with Killian Bush there was an in-depth discussion centered on the build of the Volvo 70 boats for the ABM AMRO campaign. The mould tool for the now famous ‘Black Beauty’, which had a surface area of approximately 150m2, was laid-up in around 3 days, resulting in a fair and down-to-weight race winner, produced almost straight from the mould.
ACG’s VTM® system has also proved a valuable entry product for many spar builders. Many builders go on to install autoclaves and use other higher temperature cure systems, even drawing on the world of Formula One when performance is paramount, but VTM® still remains the prepreg of choice for short run and one-off projects.
Along the way, perhaps you’ll recognise a few more ACG supplied projects:
Seaon 96 - the racer cruiser trimaran from Sweden.
The recent OUT95.
Oh, and those strange little Fastacraft flying Moths built by John Illett in Australia!
So now we’ve now gone full circle and, as the Official Materials Supplier to the Alinghi campaign for the 2007 America’s Cup, further success can only be just round the corner!
So maybe you did know ACG after all.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
Marine Sector Specialists Visit McLaren Technology Centre - September 2007
Earlier in 2007, members from the Formula One fraternity, including two from McLaren Technology Centre, visited their ocean-going counterparts in Valencia, Spain to see Formula One on the waves.
To return the compliment, on the 25th July 2007, fourteen professionals from the marine sector, including designers, structural engineers, naval architects and boat builders from the world of the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race, visited the McLaren Technology Centre. The visitors were guests of ACG’s European Sales Manager/Marine Market Sector Manager, Rob Wilder and ACG’s Technical Marketing Manager, Dr. John Nixon and, of course, our esteemed hosts McLaren, enjoyed a full, investigative day at this prestigious facility in Woking, Surrey, UK.
As is customary, the visit started with an introductory presentation followed by a guided tour of the facility. One of McLaren’s composites engineers delivered a talk on the processing of composites materials and the challenges of the parameters and FIA technical regulations. Another McLaren engineer delivered an around-the-car presentation covering the design and thought process behind the success of the McLaren car.
As one might have expected, the inquisitive nature of the attendees led to many engineers spending considerable time investigating many aspects of McLaren’s exquisite Formula One cars and the state-of-the-art equipment used in the manufacturing processes. The barrage of questions put to the McLaren engineers during the course of the day showed that there was considerable similarity between the two market sectors. Both sectors are out there to win and any advancement that shaves just a fraction of a second off the lap time (motorsport) or metre per mile (marine) is ‘the measure of success’, but it doesn’t stop there; the pursuit for perfection goes on in search of the next illusive second or metre and the one beyond that. It was said that if a set of tool had been available it might have been difficult to tear the visitors away. Obviously, our marine sector visitors could see the potential for the cross-fertilisation of technologies and apparent use in marine sector applications. The tour also included a visit to McLaren’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel.
It is interesting to note that ACG is the official partner to both Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Team Alinghi, with both teams enjoying considerable success in the application of ACG’s materials benefiting greatly from the support provided by ACG's technical staff. All of the visitors use ACG’s materials and technologies and all have benefited from such application. In fact, all of our guests use ACG’s VTM resin systems in one form or another.
Overall, the day was rewarding, with many visitors taking with them thoughts on how they might apply similar processes and technologies in the search for excellence in the marine sector.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
We recommend that you download these files to read them. To do so, right click and select 'Save Target As' then select a location where they can be saved.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
 |
 |
 |
3Mb |
1.5Mb |
1.2Mb |
Good Luck to Alinghi in the Defence of the 32nd America's Cup - August 2007
The Advanced Composites Group (ACG), official supplier of advanced composite materials and advanced support technologies to Alinghi, wish the team of SUI100 a safe, fast and successful series in their defence of the 32nd America’s Cup.
As official supplier of materials to Alinghi when SUI64 won the 2003 cup, ACG is proud to be associated with the SUI100 build team, providing materials and technical assistance throughout the build programme. Launched on the 17th March 2007, SUI100 embodies all of the work that Alinghi has done in this Class since 2000; the team are confident with SUI100 performance.
Good luck from ACG’s Technical and Marine Specialists - we’ll be watching your progress.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
ACG Alinghi Official Supplier for 2007 Defence Campaign - April 2007
Having previously hoisted the winners trophy aloft for the 2003 America’s Cup, Alinghi, the Swiss defender of the 32nd America’s Cup, has been allocated the number ‘SUI 100’ for its second new yacht.
This is the first time in the history of America’s Cup that a yacht has been allocated a three digit sail number and the first time in over 150 years that this event will have been held in Europe. As the number one developer of innovative materials in the performance race yacht market, ACG is pleased to be official supplier to Alinghi and part of the jigsaw that, together, will construct a winning team.
The 2007 yacht, which was recently completed in Vevey, Switzerland, employs a range of ACG’s proven and tested LTF318, VTM®260 and MTM®49-3 materials.
ACG’s ZPREG® LTF318 surfacing system and rapid lay-up technology offer very high surface quality tooling under vacuum-only processing, while VTM®260 series prepregs and adhesives are used for hull and decks.VTM®260 offers optimised low pressure vacuum-only processing, flexible cure temperatures between a modest 65°C (149°F) and 120°C (248°F) with ‘step ahead’ cure resin rheology controlled to optimise fibre wet-out, but not at the expense of excessive resin bleed.
Last, but by no means least, where the rules allow, MTM®49-3 is supplied for the manufacture of key structural elements where it offers superior compression performance, this being 1st choice for Formula One chassis.
Drawing parallels with how ACG operates in the Formula One and performance yacht markets, ACG provides Alinghi with comprehensive technical support direct from its new Technology Centre and, when required, right at the heart of the build.
New equipment installed in ACG’s new Technology Centre, part of a £7M business expansion that took place in late 2006, is applied in total confidence to the benefit of the developer. Combine this with rapid and reliable material turnaround times, plus a team of ACG engineers and support staff allocated to each build project, and you are guaranteed that your design will become reality.
It is ACG’s proactive approach to materials development and technical support that has helped it establish itself as the leading composites technology supplier in both Formula One and the America’s Cup.
ACG will continue to work closely with Alinghi right up to the end of the 2007 competition, ensuring that support and material is at hand when and where it’s needed.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
ABN AMRO - Male or Female . . . What's the Difference? - April 2007
History it may be, but ABN AMRO One undeniably crushed the competition to win the 2005 2006 Volvo Ocean Race.
Designed by Juan Kououmdjian, built by Killian Bushe and sailed across hostile waters by a dedicated team, the two ABN AMRO Volvo 70s, which took 1st and 4th place in the 2005/2006 Volvo Ocean Race, irrefutably encompassed all of the prerequisites of world-beating craft.
ACG’s VTM®260 prepregs, which were formulated to Killian Bushe’s exacting specifications - including specific backing material, defined bleed ratio and tack, offer unrivalled reliability and repeatability in terms of low voidage and high performance structures, while also utilising the widest possible range of cure cycle and process options. Built by a team of specialists in Lelystad, Holland, with expert technical assistance and guidance from ACG’s team, the 2005/2006 Team ABN AMRO yachts were manufactured using ACG’s VTM260 prepreg materials, but in two completely different ways.
One was manufactured over a male plug (the traditional way) and the other using a female mould into which the hull was laminated, followed by vacuum bagging to consolidate the material and, finally, oven cured to harden the resin.
The female mould was manufactured using ACG’s ZPREG® material technologies in the form of LTF318 surfacing ply and ZPREG 264 bulk plies. This combination of products offers a high quality mould surface using vacuum consolidation, with the complete tool lamination process taking only three days.
The main benefit of the ‘female’ method is the reduced handling/processing time and consequential weight reduction gained by eliminating the requirement to apply fillers to the exterior surface of the hull. The resulting effect is a virgin and aesthetically pleasing carbon fibre finish, hence the black surface finish of ABN AMRO Two.
Perhaps, one day all racing yachts will be built like this, but whatever the case, ACG will always be poised ready to provide innovative, winning materials and dedicated support.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
| Other News | 2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
Older |
| Marine | |
|
|
|
|
| | | Terms & Conditions | | | Copyright | | | Sitemap | | | Text Only | | |
|---|