An established forum for the exchange of ideas and latest information on leading technologies shaping boatbuilding’s future.

Held in conjunction with METS 2006
	Tuesday & Wednesday, 14-15 November 2:00pm – 5:00pm Amsterdam RAI Congress Centre (above the Composites Pavilion) The Netherlands For more details on the Forum, contact: Tel: +44 (0)208 726 8119 E-mail: nick_hopkinson@ipcmedia.com

DAY 1 - COMPOSITE PROCESSES AND MATERIALS
Session 1 - Setting the Scene:  The Future of Composites in Boatbuilding

Ed Findon, VT Halmatic and Nick Partington, Gurit/SP

Successful boat building businesses today are looking beyond traditional techniques to transfer ideas from other industries to stay competitive, including productions efficiencies from automotive factories, cycle times from the wind energy sector, and laser placement and kitting from the aerospace industry.  With years of hands-on experience in the marine industry, Gurit’s Nick Partington and VT Halmatic’s Ed Findon provide both the supplier and end user perspective on future developments and trends in composite boatbuilding.  The speakers will look at some of these ideas to discuss which are transferable and cost effective for our industry.  Other developments to be explored include rapid tooling, automated tape laying, structural health monitoring and employing simplicity to cut cost, time and weight without compromising performance.  This session will set the scene for Forum attendees who will have two days to learn more details about advances in today’s manufacturing environment that promise reduced production times, lower costs, improved efficiency and higher quality. Ken Wappat, chairman of the UK’s National Composites Network will moderate and encourage a “reality check” from the audience.

Session 2 - Cost Reduction and Efficiency Innovations in Single Skin Construction

Scott Lewit, Structural Composites
Thomas Anmarkrud of OS Boat, Norway

While flexural strength is important, flexural rigidity is of greater concern in many areas of composite boat construction.  ‘Out of plane’ loads are the limiting loading condition for most recreational boats and small craft.  Boat builders have learned that thick single skin laminates provide superior strength properties, but can also be inefficient in weight and cost.  A more weight efficient solution to meet the stiffness requirements of boats can be achieved with sandwich construction utilising PVC foam core and Balsa wood.  These are proven materials that perform well when the designer understands the materials, the workforce is trained, and installation is quality assured.  But higher prices for nearly all inputs – including raw materials and labour -- are driving innovations that offer even lower cost options for boat builders.  Framed single skin construction is one alternative to sandwich construction that can cut raw material costs, reduce labour and improve manufacturability.  In this session, Scott Lewit will take a look at boat builders that have transitioned from sandwich construction to framed single skin construction, with comparisons of material costs, labour inputs and performance under the two methods. Thomas Annarkrud of OS Boat, Norway will discuss the topic from the boat builder’s perspective.

Session 3 - Improving Cosmetics and Surface Quality in Composite Construction

Michael Eaglen, High Modulus

Edwin van Herpt, Lightweight Structures

Better mechanical properties and lower hazardous styrene emissions are among the benefits that are encouraging increasing acceptance of vacuum infusion processes by the boat building industry. But when it comes to surface quality, the vacuum infusion process can still behave poorly compared to more traditional wet lay-up techniques. Higher fibre volume together with higher shrinkage of polyester resins leads to the challenge of “fibre print-through” on the laminate surface, and heat-related deformations are common in all composite structures.  But it is in the yacht market that perfection is most actively sought by both manufacturers and their customers.

The speakers bring their extensive R&D experience to review different aspects of improving surface quality.  Michael Eaglen reviews a study on the heat-related cosmetic performance of composite shell panels for marine use.  Findings indicate that the cosmetic performance of panels tested in the laboratory and by boat builders in the field -- using both epoxy and vinyl ester resins – are significantly influenced by both laminate specification and build quality.  A review of key influencing factors in the design and build process to assist in minimization of visually detectable defects will be covered.  Edwin van Herpt will look in detail at the effectiveness of two approaches resin suppliers and end users are currently investigating to improve surface quality including:

• Decreasing the overall shrinkage of unsaturated polyester, for example with thermoplastic additives and the use of low profile additives with different polyester resins.
• Masking print-through caused by shrinkage with hand laminated chopped strand mat plies, barrier coats and surface veils.

Session 4 - Cost and Time Savings with New Resin Infusion Materials and Techniques

Philip Lunn, Airtech

The past two years have seen significant developments in new materials and techniques to reduce both material costs and manual labour costs for boat builders utilising composite manufacturing methods.  New developments on the market include super wide bagging films, wide release films, inexpensive sealant tapes and innovative products to simplify, accelerate and ultimately reduce the cost of the composite moulding process.  Philip Lunn brings the perspective of over 20 years of experience in the composites field working across the aerospace, automotive, wind energy and sectors to provide an overview of the latest developments and impact they are having on today’s composite fabricator, with highlights from specific applications in the marine industry.

Session 5 - Real Life Resin Infusion

Richard Watson, VT Halmatic

Neil Chaplin, Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Attendees will gain unique insights from this session offering an inside look at real life infusion experiences from series production projects within VT Halmatic and the construction of lifeboats for the UK’s Royal Naval Lifeboat Institute (RNLI).

VT Halmatic has been building GRP vessels for military and commercial customers since the early 1950s, first using resin infusion techniques in the late 1980s. Richard Watson will look at four current projects highlighting a range of materials and processes for use in wet resin infusion and the rationale for their selection, including a discussion on how repeatability and safety is achieved for production manufacture. Projects to be reviewed include:

• A 7.6 metre rigid inflatable boat for the UK Ministry of Defence with epoxy/glass/carbon and foam sandwich construction
• A 33 metre superyacht deck structure with polyester/glass foam sandwich
• Large balsa cored components for the new Type 45 Destroyer in vinyl ester/glass construction.
• The manufacture of 30mm thick carbon fibre/epoxy blast panels

Neil Chaplin will provide a different look at boat construction projects based primarily on dry resin fusion processes in his role as a principal naval architect for the RNLI.  The RNLI is a voluntarily funded operator and maintainer of a fleet of over 300 boats, the majority of which are of composite construction, built to exacting standards and expected to endure rugged conditions.  Neil’s presentation will review considerations in the construction and support of RNLI lifeboats and the selection of materials and processes used on a variety of boats designed to be both economic to build and practical to maintain.

DAY 2 - MANUFACTURING MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

Session 6 - The Marine Industry Goes Lean

Steve Boam, KM&T

Lean Manufacturing is shorthand for the tools and techniques that were developed and perfected by Toyota Motor Corporation to make it a world class manufacturer. The formal development of TPS (known as Toyota Production System) began in the early 1950s and continues to evolve as a dynamic business model delivering profitability, quality, efficiency, cost reduction, flexibility and employee satisfaction.  Luxury products have not typically been designed for mass production and efficiency, but the marine industry is now one of the most recent sectors to benefit from Lean principles.  Steve Boam draws on his background as a lead engineer for Toyota to highlight how Lean thinking has been applied at some of the most successful marine OEMs and top tier suppliers.  The session will focus on real applications of Lean at leading boat companies which have adapted relevant Lean tools to achieve substantial savings and enhancements to their business performance.  CJR Propulsion joins the presentation to highlight the benefits of Lean in the OEM supply chain.

Session 7 - New MRP Management System Yields Efficiencies at Numarine

Erdal Kilic, Numarine

Serdar Alper, Numarine

Uygar Arpak, Numarine

Numarine is a relatively new performance motoryacht builder based in Istanbul.  With an 8500 sq meter, fully climate controlled boatyard and capacity to produce 50 yachts per year ranging from 52’ to 102', the factory was designed from the outset to maximise the latest boat building technologies.  In addition to efficiencies achieved through the use of vacuum assisted infusion along with post curing, Numarine is making use of a customised Material Requirement Planning (MRP) system to further optimise operational efficiency.  MRP is a commonly used method in firms for controlling inventory stock movements. General Manager Erdal Kilic will explain how Numarine has enhanced an MRP system to bring together planning, engineering, procurement, logistics, manufacturing and inventory modules into an integrated management system used throughout the plant.  Developed through a joint workforce of the BOS Group and Numarine, the management system links communications between all departments at Numarine and is continually revised and updated through daily processing of data inputs and “self learning.”  For instance, detailed daily work orders are created from a General Plan developed for every boat and subsequently monitored and revised through the automated input of data from shop floor terminals.  The work flow on the floor is tied into design-engineering work orders, procurement of materials, stock management, etc.  Serdar Alper and Uygar Arpak will explain how the system works along with its technical requirements, while Erdal will point out the business aspects of the system, including both its benefits and burdens.

Speakers from the first two sessions will participate in a combined Q&A to compare and contrast the two approaches and take questions on the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Session 8 - From Computer to Large Scale Models with the Help of CNC Technology

Chris Edwards, Delcam

Mateo Sardo, CMS

In order to improve the accuracy of model making and reduce the time for production of models, companies are turning to the implementation of CAD/CAM software with CNC machining. This session will explain the range of CNC machine tools that are available today and the way in which virtual computer models of components can be prepared for cutting on a CNC machine tool. Chris Edwards and Mateo Sarto will present a case study highlighting the application of this new technology to reduce overall project times and increase the accuracy of models produced, highlighting the direct experiences of Prisma Costruzioni Navali, one of the customers that CMS and Delcam share. Prisma are using 5 axis machining and computer aided design to streamline their production processes and simulate all aspects of the model making process prior to any cutting. The accuracy of the CNC machining process results in minimal hand finishing to produce the high quality surface finish demanded by marine customers, and results in many practical savings that will be discussed in this case study.

Session 9 - Rapid Production of Patterns & Moulds for Production Boatbuilders

Andy Harvey, Gurit/SP

Over the last few years a large number of production boatbuilders have invested in CNC Technology combined with tooling paste to expand the complexities of design, improve the accuracy and quality of patterns and reduce the time to market on new boat models.  The process of producing a pattern or mould using tooling paste involves rough CNC machining low-cost foam to an approximate shape and then using the CNC machine to apply tooling paste, which is then milled to the final shape. The tooling paste provides a stable and durable surface for the production of moulds or a limited number of parts. A number of issues have been highlighted by production boatbuilders using the range of tooling paste products now on the market, including:

• Application of the paste
• Shrinkage
• Exotherm of the paste
• Cure time
• CNC machining of the paste and surface quality
• Properties of the cured paste

Andy Harvey will discuss these issues and SP’s approach to addressing them, including a review of results from trials conducted by a number of production boatbuilders.

Speakers from the second set of sessions will participate in a combined Q&A to compare and contrast the two approaches and take questions on the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Session 10 - The Clever Way to Infuse Large Parts

Arjen Koorevaar, Polyworx

The application of infusion for manufacturing large composite parts is growing rapidly and in some industries, like wind energy, has become the de facto standard method. However, a lot of knowledge is still based on trial and error. While this leads to a workable process, it leaves a lot to be desired.  Often even companies which are very experienced in infusion applications do not understand why a certain method works.  A basic understanding of the physics of infusion leads to solutions that provide a larger processing window, independent of manual influences. The consequence is that there is no such thing as a standard method.  Instead, the infusion process should be adapted not only to the geometry of the part, but also to the reinforcement and resin.  Arjen Koorevaar will draw on his broad experience, and use photos and videos from recent projects to provide boat builders with some ideas and rules of thumb to take the trial and error out of developing appropriate infusion processes to achieve very high quality parts with very little risk.

Back to the METS Technology Forum homepage