Going back to the yacht industry, since 2010, the ‘Go Sailing, for a Change’ is an Italian startup whose aim is to promote and disseminate sustainable solutions. The team has been scouting environmentally friendly technologies that could be successfully transferred to the sail-racing industry. In 2013 they patented a process to make out of autoclave panels and curved surfaces in basalt fibre, greatly reducing manufacturing costs hence widening the range of applications that could benefit from this technological concept.
Over the past few years Cristiana Talon and Enrico Benco, the two founding partners, have been developing innovative concepts aimed to recyclable composites materials. GS4C embarked in the manufacturing of a 100% recyclable sail-racing boat. The boat is a Mini650, designed to race single handed across the Atlantic in the Minitransat. The plan was to be the first boat entirely made in sustainable fibre and recyclable epoxy resin. This groundbreaking achievement is both a showcase of environmentally friendly composite manufacturing and the demonstration that this can be obtained with no compromises on performance. The technology will eventually
find its way into other industries sharing similar requirements of lightness and high-end mechanical characteristics, setting a new standard for sustainable composite manufacturing.
The research carried out in the field of sustainability and recycling for the sailing industry has already raised a certain level of interest among the industry operators. In November 2015 the project was presented for the first time in Amsterdam at “The Future of Yacht Recycling” conference during the METS show.
THE PROJECT
The Mini650 are 6.5m long monohulls designed for shorthanded sailing. Several technological innovations have been introduced in the mini class before being accepted on bigger boats, like Open 60s, Volvo 70s (now 65s), and production cruising boats. An innovative and disruptive project as a composite sail-racing boat made entirely from basalt fibre and a bio-based epoxy that is 100% sustainable and recyclable, was a chance to prove that innovation and sustainability do not necessarily compromise performance and safety, to promote the message and the vision for a low environmental impact manufacturing process.
BASALT UD
A sailing boat operates in one of the most difficult environment for composite materials (with exposure to UV and salty water), adding to that the requirements of lightness and the mechanical solicitation the structure has to withstand. The project will be a very reliable test and promotion for the technology.
A first phase of scouting for sustainable technologies was followed by weaving tests and composite panel lab testing. Suppliers were selected among the ones sharing the vision for sustainable development. The recycling process was verified in the lab at LinseT in Italy. The recovered fibre was sent to the fibre manufacturer to verify that it could eventually be re-entered into the production cycle.
The fibre is Filava™ from the Belgian Company Isomatex S.A. The production of Filava™ is unique thanks to a genuine and innovative treatment of the raw material, basalt, which is enriched with various mineral additives to increase and guarantee its original mechanical and chemical properties.
BASALT FIBRE MESH 64 | The Report • December 2020 • Issue 94
The components used and the fabrication process are Isomatex’s specific and exclusive expertise. Isomatex controls every step of the production process with cutting- edge equipment. These have been carefully selected for their proven performance and reliability in
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