Reference
SAERfix® - SAERTEX ADHESIVE SOLUTION FOR SHIPBUILDING
The
H2X shipyard, founded in 1991 in Marseille, performs refits and new constructions of single and multi-hull motor yachts and sailing yachts. Their new project took place in their largest location: The construction of the IXcat65 catamaran and today the IXcat78 began in mid-2014 and is still running. These constructions for H2X are a great example of the improvements in term of productivity they have seen in the last years.
THE IDEA
The idea was to optimize the production process from fiber to the finished component. Until now the manufacturer has used a lot of spray to attach the glass fabrics to the mold, on the foam or on every vertical space where they needed to drape the fabrics. It is impossible to keep glass reinforcement in place without adhesives, the traditional spray glue has more disadvantages than advantages. The manufacturers of finished composite parts have to manually spray on one or two faces of glass fabrics. This method usually requires a high quantity of glue, and the employees must spend a lot of time spraying the glue onto the glass fabrics. In the end, this process involved significant time, work and ultimately higher processing costs.
To reduce the processing costs of the new Nahaura catamaran, H2X discovered the advantages of using SAERfix® on NCF for a catamaran.
TECHNICAL BENEFITS
- Saving of time
- Cost saving
drape
lay-up
demoulding process
REINFORCING THIS IDEA
Along with the H2X engineers, the SAERTEX team tested and studied the potential use of SAERfix for this application. Right away, it became clear that these self-adhesive glass fibre reinforcements could be used by H2X to completely get rid of the spraying process.
The adhesives in the SAERfix® product group simply make the positioning and repositioning of multiaxial interlaid complexes of glass, carbon or aramid easier. Fabrics finished with SAERfix® EP and SAERfix® UP are self-adhesive, easy to lay up, easy to cut and easy to place on the right position. SAERfix® is absolutely harmless for the environment. A well-known environmental analysis laboratory has classified SAERfix® as being “not hazardous to waters”. Even the PET foil used for a better handling is recyclable.
SAERfix® has the following advantages: Using SAERfix® reduces the time needed for lay-up up to 20 % – especially in vertical molds (e.g. for rotor blade manufacturing or boat hulls). SAERfix® is easy to handle: The exact positioning of the fabric is simple, even on highly curved surfaces and also in contrast with other commonly used fabric adhesives, SAERfix® EP has virtually no influence on the mechanical characteristics of the laminate. It is the perfect solution for H2X.
THE SUCCESS STORY
The results of H2X are good: Time saving around 20 %, because SAERfix® is easily placed and repositioned. Cost savings around 10 %, thanks to an optimization of supply chain. SAERfix® is environmentally safe - a healthy improvement over solvent spray solutions. Regulation of the glue amount is the key to perfect adhesion and to complete a perfect fiber wet out during infusion. Consequently, the manufacturer saw a higher laminate quality.
„We are totally committed to SAERfix®.“
Mr. Pierre Allemand von H2X
