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Carbo-Link use their highly refined process of ‘Ohmic curing’. This makes use of carbon fibre’s high conductivity: a current is passed through the rod’s length causing it to heat up and the pre-impregnated fibres to bond. And what about returning a damaged cable to the manufacturer? You don’t have to. Firstly, Carbo-Link rigging has no cover to chafe through. A major virtue in being cover-free is that it allows easy visual inspection. From there it can be subject to non-destructive testing, but such is Carbo-Link’s experience from their extensive R&D that in most cases, if any micro-cracking or impact damage are evident on the outside of a cable, they will know the exact Maxi 72 and IMOCA 60 fleets. extent of the damage through the Carbo-Link’s R&D capabilities cable’s full cross-section. show a continuation of its university If their rigging does require roots, with the company still doing repair, this is carried out in situ. much testing and product The damaged area is sanded back, development work for EMPA and new fibres are laminated in, cured ETH Zurich, where Dr Winistoerfer and painted – and all this can be remains a lecturer. Over the years carried out 50m aloft if required their work has diversified into – much more like boatbuilding. Redefined aerospace, industrial and civil For superyachts not having to For many years the invisible power behind the throne of some of the world’s engineering, including helicopter un-step and then re-step the mast, resistance and does not require Ngoni (above) blades and aeroplane wings; giant plus the absence of any shipping biggest and fastest yachts, the legendary, at times even mythical, Swiss a cover. As a result, consolidated and 2010 drones; rotary components and to and from the manufacturer, rigging has an inherently smaller America’s Formula 1 pressure vessels; represent significant savings both composites engineers at Carbo-Link have emerged from the shadows… cross-sectional area, less windage Cup defender structural reinforcement and in time and cost. Further cost Alinghi 5 Standing rigging has come an supplied for this had a breaking The Dubois rigging? Instead of being a bundle and is lighter. ‘On an average 100ft (top). The seismic strengthening; plus crane savings can be made by amortising impressively long way from the load of 1,200 tonnes. 143-footer of protruded rods, it is yacht it’s like removing two “stop” Alinghi cat and bridge cables, where they have the cost of the rigging, thanks to its sturdy but stretchy, wound stainless The upper echelons of the sailing Ngoni went ‘consolidated’, effectively a solid signs that are always perpendicular was one of manufactured some of the highest exceptional lifespan. Carbo-Link of our youth. The top end of world were quick to recognise the ‘full race’ with laminate, made from in-house to the wind,’ says Dr Winistoerfer. the most load cables ever made. rigging’s life expectancy is some Carbo-Link interesting performance yachting has since significance of these developments, consolidated produced, custom pre-preg carbon Carbo-Link rigging is also The company offers clients 20-25 years – and at no point in gone through rod, early composites especially in Switzerland where fibre tape wound around fully designed to have the minimum sailing complete solutions, from concept, this period will it need to be rigging. It was projects such as aramids, Spectra, PBO and leading Orma 60 skipper Steve a big step incorporated thimbles. It is also number of terminations, resulting among design and engineering, through to returned to its maker. Vectran and ended up today mostly Ravussin came close to winning the when the continuous – including not just in further weight savings. The lack Carbo-Link’s manufacturing – they even make all It is also less likely to be with carbon fibre. Teething problems 2002 Route du Rhum using some managers of the Vs but the diagonals too. of any bonded joints results in long list of their own manufacturing equipment destroyed in a lightning strike – with carbon fibre rigging, especially early Carbo-Link carbon fibre cables the world’s Typically, the starting point is more consistent loading behaviour technical in-house – and, when required, a very expensive, yet surprisingly biggest feats, the getting it to turn corners and on his trimaran Technomarine. yachts first determining the client’s exact along their length, minimising any custom tooling. Dr Winistoerfer common, problem for superyachts. terminate, have been solved and Carbo-Link have continued to demands – specifically stiffness localised fatigue. Like the whole cat passionately states, ‘The Swiss It is not lightning-proof but, thanks became being held today, for some, the manufacturing make major technological confident and workload. Based on this, tapes terminations, spreader end fittings together and made aspect of Carbo-Link is a vital to having minimal terminations and process is more akin to breakthroughs since then, many the enough in are tailormade for each project with are not merely glued on, but are kept rigid by part of who we are, and our location no bonded joints, there is no static boatbuilding. Incredibly, the very fruits of working with Alinghi in the what was variables including not only their fully incorporated into the tape a complex close to world-leading engineering charge – the rigging is an earthed latest high-tech carbon rigging all America’s Cup. Perhaps most previously a width but their thickness, the system and, as a result, they too arrangement facilities enables us to thrive on connection at all times. race product of lightweight but eliminate stretch. momentous was when they to fit carbon physical characteristics of the are smaller and lighter. innovation.’ Staff are highly trained So, as never before, modern Spearing this revolution for developed the marine industry’s carbon fibre unis (modulus, tensile and and their immaculate facility is consolidated rigging should be rigging on compressive more than two decades has been first solid or ‘consolidated’ carbon these very strength, cross-sectional area, The magic ellipse members Aerospace QA Certified to AS9100D. thought of as being as robust and Dr Andy Winistoerfer. For many fibre rigging that helped the Swiss different UV resistance and so on) and of For the 2010 DoG match America’s dominated by Their corporate set-up and immovable as a part of the boat. years Dr Winistoerfer was a leading team on their way to victory in boats with the resin with which they are Cup in 2010 Carbo-Link made the web of technology allow any development It is this that causes it to behave light at EMPA, the Swiss Federal 2003 – though the final raceboat their different impregnated. While Carbo-Link another significant step forward in solid carbon work across their diverse business more consistently, making it easier but equally rods beneath Laboratories for Materials Science did not feature carbon as a result rigorous offer the complete solution for their developing low-windage elliptical to be easily transferred between to set up a mast straight with more and Technology, where he of rule restrictions. rigging, they can also interface with section rigging for Alinghi’s maxi the platform markets, including sailing. This side consistent prebend. And it requires demands. which had to developed the anchoring system Carbo-Link’s thinking at the Carbo-Link any deck or mast fittings from any catamaran. In addition, some of be accurately of Carbo-Link is run by a dedicated no bedding in, or settling in, and for bundled carbon cables which time – which remains unchanged have long manufacturer. Modifying the tape these were fitted with fibre optics tensioned to staff, while among their consultants won’t creep over time. is still in use today. His now to this day – is that consolidated operated at variables listed above, Carbo-Link to provide load sensing. Similar ensure is Kiwi America’s Cup legend It is perhaps for all the above well-established company, rigging allows for smaller diameter, the absolute can tailor rigging to exact cables were subsequently used on the whole Murray Jones, who has been closely reasons that Carbo-Link rigging has cutting edge structure Carbo-Link, was born in the 1990s lower weight, reduced chafe and with the most requirements if, for example, Franck Cammas’s 2011-12 Volvo associated with the company since been fitted onto so many top as commercial spin-off from EMPA easy inspection as there is no cover. they require higher stiffness or Ocean Race winner Groupama 4, remained true their first involvement with Alinghi. yachts, from the America’s Cup to aggressive under load as and the STEM university ETH Zurich This approach has seen Carbo-Link competitive increased breaking load (a further including partial-ellipse laterals well as stiff. A common criticism of solid all the new Ultime maxi-trimarans, after they had been commissioned enjoy continuous involvement in the campaigns so benefit of the consolidated system and an elliptical bobstay. With a wing rigging is its lack of portability, that including François Gabart’s new to design, engineer and America’s Cup from 2003, their the rigours of is that these two features are no Elliptical rigging has since been mast like it cannot be coiled up and easily solo round-the-world record holder manufacture the giant cables for cables having been fitted exclusively superyacht longer so directly linked). used across the majority of the USA-17’s she sent back to its maker. In fact, in its Macif, to two of the most significant certification the 124m cable-stayed bridge in on all the AC72s, AC50s and the Significantly, the resin matrix America’s Cup catamaran fleets, may well have virgin state Carbo-Link rigging does recent superyachts – Ngoni and were just one won the Cup Winterthur, Switzerland.

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