Wednesday 9th March 2016
Wolrd First : construction of a boat from recyclable thermoplastic
composit materials
JEC World 2016, a world-renowned trade fair currently held in Paris, was the event chosen by Arkema and Lalou Multi to unveil one of the major innovations of their brand new Mini 6.50 Arkema 3 “Innovation” prototype sailboat. The hull and the bridge of this 6.5 m boat were made entirely from a recyclable thermoplastic composite, thanks to the Elium® resin, infused with carbon fibre.
A genuine technological feat in boat building, this boat is the fruit of the open innovation venture set up between Arkema, a world chemicals major, and Lalou Multi - TPE run by Lalou Roucayrol and specialising in ocean racing.
Visit our stand T43 - Hall 5A at Jec World, Paris, Parc des Expositions de Villepinte, from 8 to 10 March 2016 to see for yourself the hull and the bridge of the Mini 6.50 Arkema 3 “Innovation”.
A world first !
Daniel Lebouvier, Technical Coordinator of the project at Arkema: “This is a liquid thermoplastic acrylic resin. It is processed in the same way as the resins traditionally used in boat building, and features all their mechanical properties, but is recyclable unlike those resins. This means that end-of-life parts made from this resin can be ground and reused to manufacture new parts. This is an answer to the major issue of the treatment of end-of-life composites (a topic that is dear to the heart of skipper Lalou Roucayrol). Arkema is the first company to be marketing a resin of this type, and the mini 6.50 Arkema 3 “Innovation” will be the first boat built with this type of resin to be sailing the oceans.”
The collaboration between Arkema and Lalou Multi, also called “open innovation”, driven by a quest for innovation and technological development, has never been so tangible. Following the developments brought in to the Arkema Multi 50 trimaran since 2012, a veritable showcase of the products and know-how of this global chemicals group, the construction of a Mini 6.50 prototype is now highly consistent with this approach.
Fabienne Roucayrol, Project Manager at Lalou Multi: “As part of discussions on the 2014 – 2018 partnership with Arkema, and mindful of further developing the Group’s products, Lalou Multi put forward the construction of a new boat, the objective being that this Mini 6.50 should be a showcase for Arkema products as well as our know-how in their processing, in particular with this new innovative resin. Following R&D work over eighteen months and countless processing tests, we hit upon the right recipe in December 2015. The hull and the bridge of this new boat are made entirely from the Elium® recyclable composite resin! This major innovation complements the many innovations introduced in the boat itself by architect Romaric Neyhousser.”
Thechnical Caracteristics :
Elium® is the first liquid thermoplastic resin to be used to manufacture composite parts. It is processed using straightforward methods identical to those used for thermoset resins, and features mechanical properties that are similar to epoxy resins. Its thermoplastic nature makes the Elium® resin post-formable and recyclable.
• 30 to 50% lighter than steel and just as tough
• Lends itself to complex designs and shapes
• Can be perfectly combined with fibreglass or carbon fibre.
For further information, click-here
A successful challenge !
The construction of the boat was planned like a genuine research project. This new resin, fresh out of Arkema’s laboratories, had never been used in this type of manufacture.
Daniel Lebouvier: “To begin with, Elium® applications were aiming at composites with fibreglass using the RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) technique. In the case of the prototype, the infusion and carbon fibre technique was used. This was a more challenging situation in which we had no experience, in particular to manufacture large components. So we had to find the right conditions and fine-tune the product. We were able to do this, despite the tight timetable, thanks to very close collaboration between the Lalou Multi team, Romaric Neyhousser, and Arkema’s research teams.”
Arkema and Lalou Multi .... Quite a story !
The story between the enterprise Lalou Multi and Arkema began in 2012, at the time of the construction of the Multi 50 trimaran of skipper Lalou Roucayrol. Driven by weight reduction and reliability objectives, Lalou had no hesitation in innovating in ocean racing by calling upon Arkema’s products to build his trimaran. In fact, the cockpit glazing and the helmsman’s protective bubbles are fitted with Altuglas ShieldUp sheeting, which helps significantly reduce overall weight while affording excellent optical properties. And unlike other boats, the entire trimaran is assembled with glue joints, which deliver an optimum flexibility – sturdiness – weight ratio.
And a collaboration over and above lere sponsorship
For this Group - a designer of materials and innovative solutions -, collaboration with Lalou Roucayrol revolves around three shared values: Performance, Innovation, and Transfer of this know-how.
Daniel Lebouvier: “In the case of adhesives, we cut our teeth on the trimaran, and the products are now used around the world to build leisure boats. Sailing is for us an opportunity to develop and demonstrate the quality of innovative materials which will then be used in many other areas such as automotive, energy, and sports articles. It’s a real driver for our Company and our products.”
The Mini 6.50 Arkema 3 "Innovation", a veritable laboratory for Arkema products
For this new Lalou Multi boat, the objective of the architect, the skipper and Arkema was to include as many technologies from the Group as possible from the design stage.
• Bostik’s adhesives were used for the structural assembly of the boat. In particular, the bulkheads and the bridge were glued to the hull with methacrylate and MS Polymers adhesives, and the foamed structures were assembled using a polyurethane adhesive.
• The cockpit windows and the hood were made from Altuglas ShieldUp, a material that is transparent like glass but lighter and able to withstand the most extreme conditions.
The boat is therefore entirely bonded together with Arkema products.
Transfer of know-jow, a value dear to Arkema and to Lalou Roucayrol
This 23-year old joined the Lalou Multi team in 2012, at the time of the construction of Lalou Roucayrol’s trimaran. A member of the Multi50 sailing team, Quentin had the backing of Lalou and Arkema to take part in the 2015 Mini Transat Les Iles de Guadeloupe on board the Mini 6.50 series Arkema 2. An ambitious, well-organised and hard-working young man, Quentin has been deeply involved in the design and the construction of the Mini 6.50 Arkema 3 “Innovation”. In late April 2016, thrill-seeker Quentin will take the helm solo of this small jewel of technology!
To find out about Quentin Vlamynck, go to: http://goo.gl/v2FEME
Copyright : Team Arkema Lalou Multi
A designer of materials and innovative solutions, Arkema shapes materials and creates new uses that accelerate customer performance. Our balanced business portfolio spans high-performance materials, industrial specialties and coating solutions. Our globally recognized brands are ranked among the leaders in the markets we serve. Reporting annual sales of €7.7 billion in 2015, we employ approximately 19,000 people worldwide and operate in close to 50 countries. We are committed to active engagement with all our stakeholders. Our research centers in North America, France and Asia concentrate on bio-based products, new energies, solutions for electronics, potable water management, lightweight materials and 3D design materials, building performance and insulation. For the latest, visit www.arkema.com
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