The first boat in the world made of 3D printed fiberglass is “Made in Polimi”

The first 3D printed fiberglass boat is called Mambo and it is a genuine nautical revolution.

The idea by Moi Composites, a start-up from Milan founded in 2018 as a spin-off of the Politecnico di Milano, founded by two Polimi graduates: Michele Tonizzo (Architecture) and Gabriele Natale (Design & Engineering).

About 6.50 meters long, presented at the Genoa Boat Show, the Mambo is made using 3D printed components.

“MAMBO (an acronym of Motor Additive Manufacturing Boat - Ed.) is the first 3D printed fiberglass boat in the world” says Michele Tonizzo, CTO and Co-founder of Moi Composites S.r.l. with a degree in Architecture from the Politecnico di Milano in 2015, tells Adnkronos “it is a project by our company to print advanced composite materials (considered the best in the world) in 3D using our technology. The project started about 3 years ago: we wanted to print boats in 3D, so we started to talk to sponsors and partners. We printed the sections in our headquarters in Milan and then they were laminated together, then the boat was outfitted and tested in the sea off Otranto”.

The technology uses robotic machines, able to deposit continuous fibers impregnated with cross linked resin to create items with incredible properties, positioning the fibers in an optimized layout starting from just a digital model. This makes it possible to create fiber-reinforced products, with the same mechanical properties as unidirectional fiberglass, without using models, molds or other equipment. In this way, it is possible to obtain not only prototypes but also limited series products or one-off items.

“The creativity of many designers is smothered by various factors: limits of a technological or geometric nature, or production costs, there are many incredible projects that are destined to always be just a magnificent render. “We took part in the Genoa Boat Show in 2017, and during this event, we had the idea to create MAMBO. So, layer after layer, we have watched the project grow and finally reach the sea today. We 3D printed a boat focusing on the concept of customization, making a unique item created from an idea and made to measure for the owner, giving everyone the possibility to conceive and live the sea in their own personal way. All this could not have happened without the support of our partners, who put their faith in this ambitious project”. Affirms Gabriele Natale CEO and co-founder of Moi Composites, Alumnus of the Politecnico di Milano.

Once the concept had been conceived and the executive project created, the various sections were printed using two KUKA Quantec High Accuracy robots. Located in Milan on the premises of Moi Composites and AMF (Advanced Manufacturing Facility) of Autodesk in Birmingham, they were able to exploit shared manufacturing, considered one of the most notable strong points of 3D printing. Once printed, the pieces were put together and laminated in the Catmarine boat yard, creating a sandwich monobloc structure, without any hull-deck division.

The untiring and invaluable work of the robots together with the knowledgeable and passionate ability of the boat yard craftsmen have given life to a new hybrid industrial system, as technological and digital as it is analogue and tailor-made, transforming the impossible into possible.

Credits home: bellininautica.it