Skipper Armel Tripon of L'Occitane en Provence set off on the Vendée Globe, carrying a seat made from low-cost biosourced carbon fibers, the first piece of equipment produced by IRT Jules Verne as part of the Force project.
IRT Jules Verne has implemented the TFP (Tailored Fiber Placement) to produce this seat. This process uses technology derived from the textile industry to orient and hold the carbon fiber in the desired positions, leading to a drastic reduction in material waste, as the fibers are positioned just where they are needed. Another advantage of this process is that it optimizes the mechanical properties of the part by orienting the fibers in the direction of the main stresses. Last but not least, this process uses dry fibers, thus avoiding the use of semi-finished products (fabrics, NCF, prepregs), resulting in substantial cost savings and greater process flexibility.