Advanced towpreg makes debut on IMOCA hydrofoil boat

Avel Robotics’ (Lorient, France) IMOCA hydrofoil is being exhibited at Toray Carbon Fibers Europe’s (Lacq, France) at JEC World 2024. The hydrofoil from Team Initiatives Coeur has just returned from the transatlantic race Jacques Vabre; skippered by Samantha Davies, the team finished in fifth place out of  40 competitors.

Avel Robotics is a high-performance composite parts manufacturer and an automated fiber placement (AFP) specialist. The company has been manufacturing hydrofoils for offshore racing boats using Toray Carbon Fibers Europe’s Advanced Towpreg — which is well suited to the AFP process — since 2020.

The towpreg is delivered to Avel Robotics as spools, without release films, ready to be laid up. Toray’s towpreg features high width stability and fiber areal weight ideally suited for Avel Robotics’ process, enabling the production of consistent and highly reliable parts. The towpreg material has already been used by Avel Robotics on famous racing boats with proven performance results.

According to Adrien Marchandise, Avel Robotics CEO, “Toray Carbon Fibers Europe’s ... Advanced Towpreg product is cost-effective and has a lower impact in terms of its environmental footprint. The fact that we avoid the use of release film and the additional costs of cutting tapes before layup, added to the ‘net-shape’ principle of additive manufacturing, makes our process much more advanced and efficient than manual layup.”

Toray’s material is also 100% manufactured in France from the carbon fiber to the Advanced Towpreg material, which further contributes to a lower environmental impact, while providing an integrated and secure supply chain with local manufacturing and technical support.

Toray Carbon Fibers Europe is currently working on expanding its Advanced Towpreg portfolio, to respond to growing demand in high-performance markets.

Visit Toray Carbon Fibers Europe at Booth N°H01 in Hall 5.