CST staff, past and present, celebrated the company’s 20th anniversary. CST Composites has grown from humble beginnings into a an organisation with two manufacturing sites in Sydney and selling carbon fibre products to all corners of the globe. Customers over the years have included NASA, Australian Olympic Sailing Teams, America’s Cup Teams and FORD to name a few and the company has manufactured over 120,000 tubes during this time.
The festive season has been a jolly one for CST, with success in many high-profile sailing events.
Two CST team members took part in the 2015 Sydney to Hobart, with Justin Dock on TP52 Balance, which claimed handicap honours. Clynton Wade-Lehman was sailing on Raggamuffin 52.
CST team member Justin Dock with the George Adams Tattersalls Cup.
December-January has seen the usual plethora of Nationals for dinghy classes around the country.
Skippers and crews using CST designed and manufactured equipment finished on the podium in the Flying11, B14, 16ft Skiff, I14 and Cherub classes.
At a time when the general impression is that manufacturing in Australia is on the wane, Sydney-based manufacturers CST Composites is expanding to a second factory site.
The advanced carbon fibre filament winder and pultruder is expanding into 1350 square metres of factory space in Ingleburn’s massive industrial area.
The industry that started in the backyard of CEO and founder Clive Watt’s rented Sydney home now employs 31 people and moving to the additional site will allow more growth.
The pultrusion sector of the business will be moved, with three pultrusion machines to be located at Ingleburn, which again means more room for growth. Volume production is being relocated, so industrial products and OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) products will also be fabricated at Ingleburn.
Filament winding machines, grinders and saws to run the production line are in the process of being installed. Additional mandrels will be needed to allow both sites to manufacture at full capacity.
Earlier this year, CST secured a $1.4 million Manufacturing Transition Programme grant from the Australian Government.
The Programme provides assistance to help manufacturing businesses become more competitive and sustainable, enabling a move or expansion into higher value or niche manufacturing activities.
“We have invested heavily over many years to develop our filament winding technology and automation, and this grant support and investment enables us to take the next step in growing our business,” Clive Watts says. “This second, larger, production facility will allow us to achieve greater economies of scale and gives us increased capacity. This will enable the company to continue its push into new larger markets including Automotive, Oil & Gas, Mining and Defence.”
CST has responded to requests from many dinghy classes for adjustable spreaders. The new all-carbon adjustable spreaders can be used on Cherubs, Contenders, F11s, 16ft skiffs and I14s.
Adjustable spreaders allow sailors to attain the required rig angle for their boat. Apart from being able to more finely tune the dinghy, there’s the added advantage of being able to tune for different wind conditions.
These spreaders feature an innovative composite moulded collar section for light weight and strength, whilst providing low windage with an efficient aero section spreader arm. The spreaders are designed with a 10° adjustment range, with angles suitable for a range of dinghy classes.
And of course the carbon construction means the spreaders are durable and lightweight.
For inquiries, contact [email protected]
It’s hard enough to sail a moth without being bashed in the head with the boom. Wouldn’t it be nice to have more space to get under that boom? Now CST Composites is making it even easier to tack and gybe.
Following on from the release earlier this year of a 10° bent boom, CST has now developed the 15° bent boom, giving more opportunity to rake the mast back, making you faster and the boat easier to handle.
Bent boom ©ThMartinez/Sea&Co.
Apart from raking the mast back, many sailors have been cutting down their mast stumps to lower the rig, reducing wind resistance and lowering the centre of effort and centre of gravity. But these advantages have had a downside of bringing the boom closer to the deck, making those tacks and gybes even more difficult.
Last year, CST developed a bent boom with expert input from members of its Sailing Team. This impressive team includes two-times Moth world champion Nathan Outteridge, who’s also an Olympic Gold medallist, and 49er World champion. Also on the team is the Oracle Sailing Team, led by Tom Slingsby (Laser OIympic Gold medallist, and multiple Laser World Champion). Tom has been racing moths for the past few years.
The original bent boom featured a 10° angle change at the critical point where the skipper moves under the boom, creating more space and making the boat easier to sail. To complement the bent boom, the vang is offset by the attached lever, increasing the purchase on the vang whilst reducing the amount of potentially destructive compression load on the boat and spars.
The new development is to take account of the trend to rake the mast back even further.
The bent boom is sold as a ready-made spar.
If you have a current CST straight boom, you can buy a DIY kit to upgrade your boom from straight to bent.
For inquiries and questions, contact [email protected]
Advanced carbon fiber filament winder and pultruder, CST Composites (Sydney, Australia) has secured a $1.4 million (US$1M) grant from the Australian Government, as a part of a $5.7 million (US$4M) project investment to increase production capacity, continue development of its filament winding process technology, and to enter new markets.
The grant was a part of the Australian Government’s $50 million Manufacturing Transition Programme that provides assistance to help manufacturing businesses become more competitive and sustainable, enabling a move or expansion into higher value or niche manufacturing activities.
On awarding of the grant, CST Composites was visited by Federal Minister Hon. Scott Morrison MP. “This grant will support CST Composites to increase its capacity, employ more people and develop further innovations in both niche and mainstream markets. It is great to see this award-winning company, employing local people, offering a globally unique product and supplying carbon fiber products to leading companies all across the world from its Sydney base. ” Mr Morrison said.
CST Composites Managing Director Clive Watts welcomed the grant and the government’s support.
“We have invested heavily over many years to
develop our filament winding technology and automation, and this grant support and investment enables us to take the next step in growing our business. The timing of the grant is also important, as we have just acquired a second larger production facility, which allows us to achieve greater economies of scale and gives us increased capacity. This will enable the company to continue its push into new larger markets including Automotive, Oil & Gas, Mining and Defence. Further to that, a weaker Australian dollar has seen demand increase from overseas companies as buying from Australia becomes even more attractive.”
The successful Manufacturing Transition Programme projects were awarded through a highly competitive, merit-based process, and based on advice from an expert technical committee to ensure the projects have a sound commercial basis.
Many sailors are cutting down their mast stumps to lower the rig which reduces wind resistance, lowers the centre of effort and centre of gravity. Furthermore, masts are being raked further back to achieve the same effect. All these advancements mean that the boom has been getting closer to the deck making it harder to tack and gybe.
Working with Artemis Racing and Nathan Outteridge, CST Composites has released a new bent boom which features a 10° angle change at the critical point where the skipper moves under the boom, creating more space and making the boat easier to sail. To complement the new boom, the vang is offset by the attached lever, increasing the purchase on the vang whilst reducing the amount of potentially destructive compression load on the boat and spars.
Bent boom ©ThMartinez/Sea&Co.
The bend in the boom is achieved by the addition of a composite monocoque moulding weighing only 190 grams and creates enough space to cross the boat quickly and easily. This aids in improving tacking and gybing.
The bent boom is sold as a ready made spar, or available as a DIY aftermarket modification kit.
CST Composites will be exhibiting for the fourth time at the JEC Europe Composites Show. JEC Europe is the biggest composites exhibition in the world.
CST Composites will take the opportunity to showcase its capabilities in filament winding, pultrusion and composites fabrication.
In attendance will be our Managing Director, Clive Watts and our Director of Strategy & Business Development, Mark Sterbic.
Nathan Outteridge has won the 2014 Moth World Championship held at Hayling Island, UK, while Mike Lennon won the UK Moth Nationals as part of the pre Worlds regatta.
Both Nathan and Mike were using off- the-shelf CST HM Elite carbon fibre masts and booms.
CST has consistently worked together with the top sailors, sail designers and boat builders to refine their product which has led to their spars winning six of the last seven Moth World Championships. The key to producing these high performance products is CSTs manufacturing process which includes finite element analysis and 100 per cent machine laid filament winding.
Following sailor feedback, a mast can be modelled, wound, cured, assembled and tested all within a 24 hour period, allowing for rapid development and matching of spar bend to suit sails and conditions. The manufacturing technique assures precision replication, lighter weight and stronger products.
For more information on our marine and moth products, visit our marine site or contact us.
CST Composites is participating in research into silent renewable hydrogen power for defence. The project, lead by RMIT University, will receive $1.6 million in funding over two years. For more information, please read the article on the RMIT University website.
