In its 19th year of operation, Atech Composits – a Horizon Yachts subsidiary – reports it has broken its own record for the largest single-shot hull infusion - a 42.6m motoryacht hull. Having originally set the record for the infusion of a 41m superyacht in 2005, Horizon’s specialised composites division has sought to develop the process in order to improve the strength, integrity, and durability of its hull structures.

Created to offer an alternative to traditional hand-lamination techniques, Atech Composits began its journey with the use of patented SCRIMP vacuum infusion technology to manufacture one-piece hulls.

According to Horizon Yachts, the company “became the first shipyard in Asia to utilise the procedure.” Shortly after the subsidiary’s launch in 2004, Horizon developed an improved resin infusion technology, which transforms the resin from its original 2D flow on surfaces to 3D flow.

The 3D flow process essentially allows the resin to climb up and down internal stiffeners, enabling the construction of larger structures than were previously possible at Horizon. When Horizon broke the record in 2005, it was this 3D infusion technology that allowed this to happen, and the basis for the record broken recently, in 2019.

‘The infusion process facilitates the flow of resin into fibre interstices and core material grooves through pressure variation’, states Horizon in a statement to the press. “As the size and type of moulds have evolved, so too has the need for better control on the resin flow, which has put Horizon’s infusion techniques to the test.”

After continuous testing over the last two decades, Horizon now has the capacity to infuse any type of mould completely. The technology also allows consistency throughout all structural components and creates hulls which are as light and strung as possible. The shipyard also claims that this technology reduces the emission of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) by nearly 80 per cent.

The construction of Horizon’s new 42.6m superyacht is now in full swing, and according to The Superyacht Intelligence Agency, will be delivered in 2020.

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