JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #146 - June/July 2022 - 8

MOVING COMPOSITES FORWARD
which now sets out a quantity of
recyclable materials to be integrated
into the construction process. For
the team that chooses to integrate
these new materials, this approach
is accomplished through focusing
on performance. Concurrently,
CDK Technologies is also working
on solutions for reusing carbon
scrap and waste from the building
process, in conjunction with local
partners. These include both reuse
and recycling of materials.
The IMOCA 60 11th Hour in front of the shipyard
©BP- CDK Technologies-team CDK Technologies
[p5 / ...] This type of commercial relationship
inevitably leads to technical
cooperation that strengthens the competitiveness
of the cluster's members.
As a result of this collective intelligence,
we formed a consortium with
our partners Multiplast, Lorima, SMM
Technologies and Avel Robotics. This
allows us to propose solutions to major
contracting parties like les Chantiers
de l'Atlantique in western France. The
idea is to apply solutions from offshore
racing to mast production, bringing
advances from the future of sailing
craft to the ships used for passenger
transportation.
Since their first appearance, the
usage and design of foils has evolved
quite a bit. What do you consider
to be the steps that brought them
to their full potential in terms of
performance on racing yachts? Have
they arrived, or do you anticipate that
further progress will be made?
Y.D.: This technical solution has
experienced a revolution due to
the impact of the America's Cup,
in parallel to the rapid evolution in
knowledge on how to implement
high-performing composites. In
2016, in the field of offshore racing,
authorisation of foils on the IMOCA
craft participating in the Vendée
Globe marked a revolution for the
age-old class whose sailboats were
all starting to look the same. This
innovation has widened the scope
8 jec composites magazine / N°
of design for hulls and foils, with
architects offering up very different
technical solutions. On IMOCAclass
craft, these appendages have
developed significantly in size since
2016, mainly because mastery of
their production has ramped up.
The first foils of the 2016 generation
often required mechanical joints to
be inserted to allow the loads to pass
through high stress zones (the elbows
in particular). CDK Technologies
made significant investments in
digital
tools
to simulate lay-up of
plies, in digital cutting tools for
woven fabrics, but above all in a
very large autoclave (4mX25m 10
Bars 200°C) that makes it possible
to produce these parts in only one
piece. It's unique in the industry and
enables the company to produce foils
for Ultime-class multihull craft.
The life cycle of composite materials
in yachting and the marine industry
is at the heart of today's concerns,
and particularly for IMOCA-class craft.
What strategy is CDK Technologies
pursuing in this area? What initiatives
materialise this strategy?
Y.D.: At the same time as the
IMOCA 11th
Hour was being
built (launched in 2021), CDK
Technologies performed a life
cycle assessment of the build in
partnership with the 11th Hour
Racing Team. This work served as
a basis for evolution of the class,
146 June - July 2022
The idea of " soft " or sustainable,
maritime mobility is becoming the
focus of more and more projects. How
is this field of application benefiting
from the technologies and know-how
acquired by offshore racing?
What is CDK Technologies' ambition
in this area?
Y.D.: On one hand, the pursuit
of performance in offshore racing
focuses essentially on optimising
the sail propulsion of ships, and
on decreasing their fluid resistance
(hydrodynamic drag) on the other.
The advent of flying boats is the
perfect illustration of these two
primary lines of progress. The major
innovations revolving around rigs,
and especially thanks to high-performing
composites, have allowed
rigid sails to be developed which
are much more efficient than those
with flexible profiles. As to the
progress made on foils, this enables
the racing craft's fluid resistance to
be reduced tremendously. Thanks
to the development of these technologies
in the heart of our market,
CDK Technologies is now able to
offer efficient solutions that can be
transferred to the area of seagoing
mobility aiming for a low environmental
impact. We feel as if we're
taking part in a true disruption that
will positively impact the entire field
of water transport. This constitutes
a major development focus for CDK
Technologies.
More information:
www.cdk-technologies.com
http://www.cdk-technologies.com
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #146 - June/July 2022

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