Marine

Hexcel manufactures a full range of HS, IM & HM fibers from its own PAN. The success achieved by winning competition yachts built with Hexcel materials has led the introduction of unique products including HexTow® IM7, IM2 and HM63 carbon fibers.

Hexcel is a leading manufacturer of HiMax® non-crimp fabrics, supplying a wide range of Lloyds Register approved fabrics for boat-building. In addition to the standard range of E-glass and carbon NCF, Hexcel works closely with customers to understand their specific requirements and propose customized solutions. Hexcel also offers a unique method of tackifying fabrics called HiMax® DPA (Dot Pattern Adhesive), designed to help composite manufacturers maintain the desired position of the reinforcement prior to resin introduction. Our market leading HiMax® range includes our ultra-lightweight carbon biaxials, reinforcements with micromesh, woven with enhanced infusion and non-print through as well as carbon unidirectional tapes, solutions for infusion control and non-stitch finish.

Hexcel's HiMax® carbon and glass non-crimp fabrics are now DNVGL certified for marine applications.

Hexcel's HexPly® M79 and M9 prepregs are also DNV GL certified (certificate)

Prepregs are fiber-reinforced resins that cure under heat and pressure to form exceptionally strong yet lightweight components. Hexcel is a world leader in prepreg technology and has developed products to meet the demanding requirements for competition yachts and high performance boats. HexPly® M79 is a low temperature curing prepreg, with a versatile cure cycle at temperatures from 70 to 100⁰C, and a managed exotherm reaction. HexPly® M9.1 (high tack) and M9.6 (moderate tack) enable short cure cycles at 100⁰C and provide an excellent balance between ease of processing and mechanical performance. HexPly® M37 is a prepreg with very high mechanical performance, including high dry and wet Tg, designed for racing boat structures.

Hexcel offers the largest range of woven reinforcements in the marine industry and is acknowledged by boat-builders around the world. HexForce® fabrics enable our marine customers to design high-performance boat structures with a full portfolio of carbon and glass woven reinforcements. A wide range of fiber selection, weaving styles and areal weights are available to meet industry requirements for hulls, decks or foils manufacturing. Hexcel also supplies PrimeTex® carbon reinforcements, processed to provide enhanced aesthetic appearance for high-quality boat parts thanks to smooth and closed weave fabric.

SuperFIT™ semipregs are a special subgroup of prepregs, while conventional HexPly prepregs are fully impregnated with epoxy resin. Semipregs differ as only one face of the product is tacky, the other remains dry. SuperFIT™ is available with glass or carbon reinforcements in various weights, fiber directions and different resin systems.

HexPly® XF Technology is a surfacing prepreg that is easy to handle with good drapeability and tack to adhere to the mold tool for a highly efficient lay-up process. HexPly® XF Technology prepreg also gives an excellent surface finish, with no pinholes or visible overlaps, providing excellent out-of-mold quality that greatly reduces post-processing operations, saving time and labor costs.

Hexcel formulates and manufactures a comprehensive range of structural film adhesives for the marine market. HexBond® 609 is an elevated temperature curing modified epoxy film adhesive. Curing can be achieved over a range of temperatures from 100°C to 180°C with cures times from 5 to 240 minutes. This high-performance structural adhesive is suitable for bonding a variety of substrates. It is commonly used for the manufacture of strong, lightweight, metal and composite honeycomb sandwich structures. 

HexBond™ ST1035 adhesive film is an epoxy film designed for the manufacture of sandwich structures by composite or metallic skins and cores and for bonding a wide range of substrates. The adhesive also offers very flexible processing methods and cure temperatures from 90^oC to 160^oC as well as good tack for easy adhesive joint assembly.

HexBond™ 679 is a modified epoxy film adhesive, designed for low temperature cure in out-of-autoclave applications. It delivers outstanding bonding performance in sandwich structures and offers significant cycle time reductions with its short-cure cycles at low temperatures. The adhesive is formulated specifically to meet the low temperature curing requirements of Marine and other Industrial manufacturers, HexBond 679 is a 250gsm supported epoxy adhesive film that is fully compatible with the HexPly® M79 prepreg range

Hexcel has leveraged its experience in aerospace and wind energy to develop its new G-Vent technology for out-of-autoclave (OoA) processing that delivers a game-changing reduction in process time and cost for marine manufacturers without compromising mechanical performance. G-Vent technology is an OoA process enabler for the manufacture of highly loaded, thick laminate marine structures such as masts, foils, and wind-assisted ship propulsion (WASP) components. Hexcel’s full range of marine prepregs are now available with integrated G-Vent technology, reducing the requirement for debulking steps and ensuring extremely low porosity (<1%) irrespective of the laminate thickness. A test program conducted confirmed the low void content achieved with G-Vent technology and noted porosity levels in line with state-of-the-art autoclaved carbon prepreg components.

Structure

Hull / Deck / Keel / Rudders / Foils / Crossbeams 

HexTow® IM7 & IM2 Carbon Fibers
HiMax® Reinforcements
HexForce® PrimeTex® Fabrics
HexWeb® Honeycombs
Hexbond® Adhesives
HexPly® M79 Prepregs
HexPly® M9.x Prepregs

Mast/ Boom / Spar / Sails

HexTow® IM7 & IM2 Carbon Fibers
HexTow® HM63 Carbon Fiber
HiMax® Reinforcements
HexForce® PrimeTex® Fabrics
Hexbond® Adhesives
HexPly® M79 Prepregs
HexPly® M9.x Prepregs