The Leonardo Yachts Eagle 46 is the latest addition to the company’s Eagle line of modern classic daysailers. Solico has engineered the new yacht, its first large natural fibre composite structure, which will be built by Dutch tooling and custom boat specialist Paul Dijkstra Composites. Leonardo Yachts decision to commission the engineering of the new Hoek designed 46 with sustainable flax fibres is a testament to the company’s commitment to reduce the environmental impact of the yachts that it builds.
Solico, a leading maritime composite engineering specialist, announces its latest high-performance motor yacht collaboration with Vanquish Yachts. Solico has now engineered the hull, deck, deckhouse, and carbon roof for the new VQ 55, optimizing the structures to manage the significant loads of a 3000 hp engine package and a 70+ knot top speed whilst also ensuring a reduced build time that enables the Vanquish team to meet strong demand for the new model.
Solico’s latest collaboration with long-term client Holland Composites represents a new milestone in the application of sustainable engineered composite structures in the architectural sector. Solico has engineered the new 14,000m2 Duplicor® façade for the Pulse of Amsterdam – a high-end mixed use project containing work, living and leisure spaces in the heart of the city’s Zuidas business district – that has been built by Holland Composites for façade contractor De Groot & Visser.
In the April/May 2021 issue of the International Boat Industry publication, Solico was mentioned as "A keen observer of current trends..." in the article "Towards a sustainable future". Read what all the buzz is about!
Solico has welcomed two new composite engineering specialists to its team, with a total of 16 engineering personnel now operating from the company’s headquarters in Oosterhout, Netherlands. Despite challenging global business conditions, Solico delivered strong results across all business units in 2020 and has reported a significant increase in demand for composite engineering services within the Maritime, Industrial and Defence sectors.
How can you perform pre-installation testing on a yacht mast installed in 2003? M/Y Ilona faced this challenge after a new yacht code was set in motion by the Red Ensign Group (REG). Fortunately, Solico Engineering provided an alternative solution so that M/Y Ilona would not have to perform expensive, time-consuming and unnecessary tests.
Customer: M/Y Ilona
Sport boat fanatics from all over the world will soon rejoice over a new brand entering the high-end market as we speak. We are referring to Flynt: high-end, high-performance powerboats, hand-built in the Netherlands and masterpieces of elegance and contemporary design and luxury. Solico was closely involved during the process of the creation of this unique boat.
Customer: Flynt
Yacht Broadwater was built in 1994 at a length of 52m. During her refit in 2019, executed by Huisfit, it was extended by 4m. Another striking change to the yachts contour is seen on top: the addition of a full composite canopy and radarmast!
Customer: Rondal, Royal Huisman
Photos: Tom van Oossanen
Read all about this interesting study in this interview with Eric van Uden.
Customer: TU Delft, Royal Dutch Navy
A train with high quality passenger comfort, low operating costs and exceptionally high loading volumes. We're talking about the 100% electric Trens Solar Train. A sustainable solution for conventional urban transport. No more noise or emissions, a solution that perfectly fits in the mindset of 2020.
At the end of 2019, the Royal Huisman shipyard was once again singled out for an award. Sailing yacht Aquarius won two prizes during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. One in the category 'Sailing yacht longer than 40 metres' and one in the category 'Best interior'. We’d like to congratulate the builder Royal Huisman for this great achievement!
Swimming pools on-board of yachts often take up valuable outdoor deck space. For this reason, Solico developed a dual function moveable swimming pool floor and helideck all-in-one. Since that time, we have engineered eight similar floors for other yachts.
Customer: Various
Voted Boat of the Year in 2006, the Wajer 37 should not be left out of our portfolio. This blast from the past is still on our list of projects which we are proud of. Solico is responsible for the composite engineering from head to toe of this timeless beauty. It contains a smart, lightweight construction that can be built efficiently.
Customer: Wajer
The Royal Dutch Navy's Superrhibs are exposed to the fiercest of loads. Solico designed multiple improvements to the Superrhibs. This enabled them to deal with the pressures of drug transport interceptions and other tough missions.
Customer: Royal Dutch Navy
In order to make the small RHIB 2000 go even faster and withstand even higher loads, the hulls were redesigned by Solico. After construction of the new hulls the weight savings became crystal clear!
Customer: Royal Dutch Navy
Solico engineered the bowsprit for superyacht Polina Star IV. The A-frame is fabricated in epoxy and is used primarily to set the Code-0 or gennaker.
Customer: 2MV and Contest Yachts
This stylish 10 meter RIB is very seaworthy, even at high speeds. This is partly due to the double-stepped hull. Solico is proud to have performed the composite engineering of hull-, deck-, transom and internals of this bold rib on behalf of Roughneck.
Customer: Roughneck
Modern mast design integrates as many functions as possible inside the mast geometry. The outer shell is now used for a multitude of functions, including radar reflection. The mast, being the highest part of the ship, is the best candidate for weight savings.
The life-size pumping station in Madurodam is a replica of the Cruquius pumping station, used in the Netherlands to drain lakes and reclaim land. This replica has 6m long 'cast-iron' look glass fibre reinforced composite arms that move the pumps.
Customer: Nedcam
Together with Vink BVBA, Solico worked on the quay bridge for Umicore. The bridge is 120 meters long and is made 100% of composite material. The bridge is composed of several parts which were assembled using bolts, nuts and connection profiles.
Customer: Vink BVBA
The 5 roofs, designed to look like dove wings, were not achievable using conventional materials. The option of using concrete material measured over 1m in thickness. This would have resulted in far too much weight for the building to sustain.
Customer: Holland Composites
Solico provided the structural designs and delivered the construction drawings for several GRP flue gas ducts of coal powered power plants.
Customer: Plasticon
An innovative Canopy for the new bus station in Aalst, Belgium was manufactured and installed by PolyProducts. Solico was responsible for the engineering of this challenging project. This is a truly innovative project which shows that composites are not only very durable and strong but can look good as well.
Customer: Polyproducts
Solico engineered numerous modifications and refits for GRP mine hunters, e.g. sonar plugs, modification J-deck, etc.
Customer: Royal Dutch Navy
A shimmering wall of titanium leaves is featured in the Olympic village Metro station of London. The giant tree-like 250m long leaf structures are constructed from GRP skins over GRP frames and cladded on the outside by titanium skins.
Customer: Nedcam
The façade of the University of Groningen is comprised of composite panels. The panels incorporate an aesthetic front panel of GRP RaficladTM and a structural sandwich support panel.
Customer: Holland Composites
Solico delivered the engineering calculations and structural drawings for the composite demountable Walrus-submarine superstructure.
Customer: Royal Dutch Navy
Solico developed a new generation of composite sonar domes for the Royal Dutch Navy.
Customers: Royal Dutch Navy and the Royal Danish Navy
Solico carried out the structural verification of the composite cabin of this airport crash tender, designed for use in aircraft rescue and firefighting. In case of incidents, the firefighters are protected by the incredibly strong but light composite cabin.
Customer: Plastisol
In cooperation with W.B. BIJL B.V., Solico has developed a flexible pedestrian bridge concept, assembled from pultrusion profiles.
Customer: Bijl Profielen
The latest workboats of the Royal Dutch Navy were tweaked by Solico to improve their overall performance. Using years of Rhib designing experience, Solico is capable of delivering the best optimisations to your design!
Customer: Royal Dutch Navy
Solico has engineered and delivered the construction as well as the workshop drawings for several GRP cooling towers all over the world e.g. in Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Australia, Kazakhstan, Belgium, etc.
Customer: GEA
The composite gun shield of this frigate has been modified to absorb the “green” water loads that are typical to the northern waters.
Solico engineered the composite wheelhouses and covers of these landing crafts. The wheelhouse has been designed to sustain the strain from the impact of the waves.
Customer: Royal Dutch Navy
Amphora is a software program developed by Solico for the calculation and optimisation of fibre reinforced thermoset tanks and silos - MIP, Spiromatic, Polem, Plasticon Composites.
Solico engineered the composite radar masts for multiple super yachts. Light weight and radar transparency are the key benefits of composite materials in these structures.
Customer:
2MV composites, Rondal, Royal Huisman
Materialising an architect's dream of a seamless façade of more than 100 meters in length is not an easy task. An aluminium façade of this dimension would expand far too much and is not suitable for this aim. The custom-engineered new façade is produced from carbon fibre and aramid fibres, that have been sponsored by Teijin. The added value of using this material, with ultra low thermal expansion, is the ability to maintain its form and strength despite the varying weather conditions. - Holland Composites Industrials, Teijin
On 28 November 2019 the NEDS (Exhibition Defence and Security) will take place. This event was formerly known as the NIDV exhibition. It is the largest exhibition in the Netherlands in the field of Defence and Security and is exclusively open to professionals from this sector.
Together with our customer, Solico developed a bulk carrier trailer for transporting sludge (residue from the purification of waste water). The integration of the lightweight characteristic in the design offers a larger load capacity.
Customer:Polem, CCH
Solico performed the finite element analysis to optimise the laminate layup within the high stiffness requirements.
Customer: Refitech B.V.
Solico provided the expertise to build a 100% composite material dashboard bulkhead for the luxurious camping cars of Niesmann+Bischoff.
Customer: Niesmann+Bischoff GmbH
The Maeslant barrier has been fitted with new bearings, using composite materials, which have been developed by Rijkswaterstaat and Solico. These bearings combine a low friction coefficient with a very high load capacity. For this purpose, steel bearings are not strong enough. The use of composite bearings has proven to be highly efficient as this has led to time and cost savings in the maintenance activities.
Customer: Rijkswaterstaat
The giant scales made of glass fibre composite were engineered by Solico. These 5 scales were created for the museum for the Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition.
Customer: Nedcam
The offices of network operator Enexis in Maastricht, Venlo and Zwolle feature composite façades that have been engineered by Solico.
Customer: Holland Composites Industrials
Solico engineered a full glass fibre composite wheelhouse for the new KNRM Search & Rescue lifeboat SAR NH1816.
Customer: Damen Shipyards
Booms for sailing yachts are a challenge for every engineer. The booms are typically designed to withstand gigantic loads. From afar, it seems that these booms have an easy job of sustaining such strains. The use of composite material combined with the correct designs and calculations offer an elegant solution here.
Customer: Rondal, Royal Huisman
Solico performed, in close cooperation with Contest Yachts, the structural design and analysis for the Contest 62 CS and 42 CS sailing yachts. Both yachts received a Lloyd's Register Design Approval. The Contest 42 CS won the European Yacht of the Year 2014 award in the category "Luxury Cruiser" after a complete structural redesign by Solico.
Customer: Contest
Increased weight combined with stability requirements demands lightweight superstructures.
Customer: Royal Huisman, 2MV composites
Together with our customer Tocardo, Solico developed, engineered and delivered a total of 6 sets of tidal turbine blades. The blades vary in size from 2.5m to 4.5m. Holland Composites produced the turbine blades in close collaboration with Solico.
Customer: Tocardo Tidal Turbines, Holland Composites Industrials
Solico engineered the complete structure of the Damen Waterbus composite ferry, consisting of hulls, deck and superstructure.
Customer: Damen Shipyards
Solico designed the composite structures for several modern buses including the composite roll bars, covers for luggage compartments and bus front- & rear end structures.
Customer: VDL-BOVA, Fokker special products
In cooperation with Advantage Composites, Solico designed the cosmetic cover units of the new ecoduct Kootwijkerzand.
Customer: Advantage Composite BV
This Fletcher hotel is a real eye-catcher and is centrally located along the A2 and A9 highways, at the entrance of Amsterdam. Solico engineered the futuristic curved shaped façade.
Customer: Holland Composites Industrials
Designing a sensor arm that does not vibrate when holding it next to an Audi sports car driving at 250Km/h in the "Ingolstadt" windtunnel, was not an easy task.
Customer: Audi
Solico has the necessary in house-skills, experience and software package to provide dedicated designs of storage tanks and silos according to EN 13121, DIBt, ASCE etc.
Customer: Polem
At high speeds, scanner beams need to be able to hold scanning cameras completely still. For this purpose, carbon fibre composites offer the ideal solution.
Customer: Refitech B.V.
The façade of the new music hall of the city of Utrecht is made of composite materials and has been engineered by Solico.
Customer: Holland Composites Industrials
The façade comprises large lightweight composite panels which integrate multiple functions: structure, insulation and aesthetics.
Customer: Holland Composites Industrials
This lever is part of a milking robot and is found at the far end of the arm.
Customer: Refitech B.V.
An Industrial GRP walkway for the Antucoya project in Chile: the challenge was to create a composite (corrosion resistant) structure that is safe to walk on and that can withstand earthquakes.
Customer: Neumann Engineering
Solico has the necessary in-house skills, experience and software package to provide dedicated designs of storage tanks and silos according to EN 13121, DIBt, ASCE etc.
Customer: MIP
Solico realised the complete design of the new composite floating bridge of Geestmerambacht. Composites were chosen to reduce maintenance costs over the life cycle of the bridge.
Customer: Provincie Noord-Holland
GRP couplings are used to assemble HDPE pipe sections into an 11 km long sea outfall pipeline. The pipeline consists of several sections of HDPE pipe with an outer diameter of 1600 mm and a wall thickness of 61 mm. Each pipe section has a length of approximately 550 meter.
Customer: Van Oord N.V.
Solico made the structural design of various objects used in entertainment parks or in public space as artwork. Examples include "The Flying Dutchman" and "Python" carts, the "Sprookjesboom" support structure and the "Wonderwachter" lamps.
Customer: Efteling
Solico engineered the new exterior façade for the municipality of Utrecht. One of the challenges was to ensure the correct calculations for the different sizes of the façade panels.
The Texaco fuel station in Kruibeke, Belgium, is special because of the material used. A structural layer of Polyurea thermoplast has been sprayed over a structural polystyrene foam core.
Customer: Nedcam
This project consisted of providing the structural calculations for a giant carbon fibre dome, incorporating thousands of LED lights.
Customer: Maramoja Projects
Solico engineered the composite façade for the new cinema of the city of Gouda.
Customer: City of Gouda
Solico has the necessary in-house skills, experience and software package to provide dedicated designs of storage tanks and silos according to EN 13121, DIBt, ASCE etc...
Customer: Spiromatic
After many years of service, the wooden support structure of the roof of the Centerparcs Aquamundo Tropical swimming pool was no longer fit for purpose. Together with Buursema, Dantuma en Wegkamp and BIJL Profielen, Solico designed one of the largest single span GRP roof structures in the world to support the roof loads.
Customer: Buursema Bouw BV
Composite material is a perfect solution against corrosion. In an environment with a high percentage of chlorine and humidity, the risk of rusting is serious. Therefore, the use of composite materials provides a good alternative to traditional materials. Solico collaborated with Vink BVBA and provided the structural calculations for the staircase leading to the slide of the swimming pool.
Customer: Vink BVBA
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