mouldCAM’s technology helps create another record breaker
When Mike Slade’s City Index Leopard smashed the monohull record of the Rolex Fastnet Race in August 2007 by over 8 hours, it added another record breaker to mouldCAM’s list of customers.
mouldCAM was commissioned by respected boat builders McConaghy Yachts to produce the complex mould for the 100ft plus deck of supermaxi City Index Leopard.
In a world first, mouldCAM produced a unique CNC cut female mould as a single skin, without the usual thermal insulation of a CNC mould. Using single skin technology meant the mould could then be heated to the exacting requirements of the latest carbon technology, also significantly cutting down production time.
"Not only do mouldCAM understand the critical elements in working with carbon and its high-cure temperature, but they are able to maintain the highest level of dimensional accuracy over the largest areas", said Joh Morris, Managing Director of McConaghy Yachts.
Because the CAD/CAM and CNC technology was able to translate design to within 1mm per 10 m of accuracy, the boat builders had to do virtually no further fairing of the deck.
"We have taken a design that was crafted to deliver optimal performance, and translated it so closely that we have enabled that level of performance, with no compromise" said Toby Whitfield, Managing Director of mouldCAM.
City Index Leopard was completed to a minimal time frame and launched in the UK in June 2007.
Since its launch, City Index Leopard has won the Rolex Fastnet Race and come runner-up behind another McConaghy yacht, Wild Oats XI, in the 2007 Rolex Sydney to Hobart.
"We used to use some guys in Sydney for our moulds but now they are done in Queensland, a thousand kilometres away. Why? Because they arrive on time, professionally presented, and we know they are going to be right....particularly when the build time pressure is on."
McConaghy Employee
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