MEMBRANE 4D MAINSAIL

A layer of Mylar film or taffeta is laminated onto the sail, followed by automatic placement of curved fibers along designated paths. The inner filaments remain dry for easy folding, while the outer fibers are bonded to optimize grid resistance.

Our polyester two-component adhesive minimizes the use of glue, resulting in stronger, lighter materials. Unlike thermoplastic methods, our bonding process is irreversible once completed.

After the second skin is applied, powerful vacuum pumps remove air between the sealed layers. MEMBRANE uses infrared variable-temperature lamps to liquefy, rather than activate, the resin, ensuring even heating across the entire sail.

High-pressure rollers (up to 90,000 kg/sqm) follow the infrared lamps to remove air pockets and compact the layers, allowing for greater fiber concentration in high-load areas. This pressure is crucial in laminating Dyneema fibers.

We use a flat vacuum cooling process to ensure a uniform monolithic composite, avoiding distortions caused by 3D thermo-moulding. For Dyneema membranes, the post-curing process can last several days, ensuring design repeatability and perfect sail symmetry on both tacks. The sail’s final shape is not influenced by distortions over a 3D mould.

Membrane sails cannot have too much salt left over. As they are made of aramid material, which is highly sensitive to sunlight, it is important to be careful about the impact of UV rays on them. Therefore, it is crucial to use awnings and covers even on the rolled-up headsails to prevent any damage. However, filamentary membranes do not pose the risk of delamination, which eliminates a major degradation factor.