Written by Kerryn Caulfield, Executive Director, Composites Australia Inc.
From ocean-going yachts and automotive components to surfboards and architectural structures, ATL Composites has applied engineering expertise in advanced composites for 45 years. The company manufactures proprietary composite materials and provides engineering and technical support for the construction of high-performance structures in Australia and internationally.
The business began in 1977 manufacturing WEST SYSTEM® epoxy products under licence from Gougeon Brothers Inc., USA. Over time, ATL developed in-house capability to formulate epoxy resins for demanding applications, including high-performance laminating systems, structural adhesives and industrial tooling compounds.
The business began in 1977, manufacturing WEST SYSTEM® epoxy products under licence from Gougeon Brothers Inc., USA. Over time, ATL developed in-house capability to formulate epoxy resins for demanding applications, including high-performance laminating systems, structural adhesives and industrial tooling compounds.
ATL engineers addressed the challenge of reducing construction time without compromising structural integrity in the 1990s with the development of DuFLEX® Composite Panels. Standard panels are manufactured with a variety of structural cores laminated with high-performance epoxy resin and reinforced with multi-axial E-fibreglass. Fibre orientation and ply schedules are based on design and engineering specifications to best meet weight targets, stress and impact loads and other design parameters. For projects requiring greater stiffness-to-weight ratios, engineers specify combinations such as carbon skins with foam or aramid honeycomb cores. That adaptability has enabled DuFLEX to be applied in marine, transportation, architectural, and industrial projects around the world.
ATL operates from Molendinar on the Gold Coast, Queensland, with international partnerships extending to Sweden, Germany, and the USA. The company is directed by Lorraine Duckworth and Nicholas Cossich. Duckworth’s introduction to composites came through competitive sailing on Sydney Harbour, where her interest in boat-building methods drew her into materials development.
Cossich is an aerospace engineer, holding a Bachelor of Engineering (Aero) (Hons) and a Master of Philosophy, completed under a Lloyd’s Register of Shipping scholarship at the University of Southampton. His research examined the mechanical behaviour of sandwich structures. ATL is certified to ISO 9001:2015, the international quality management standard, and holds approval from DNV (Det Norske Veritas), the Norwegian-based classification and certification society, for the manufacture of fibre-reinforced plastics (Approval#AMPM000003M).
ENGINEERING IN ACTION
ATL’s team of structural engineers have a thorough understanding of all aspects of composite technology.
Their expertise extends to the worldwide marine code
compliance, including CE/ISO, Lloyds Register, ABS,
DNV-GL, BV and USL/AS4132.Outside of the marine field, ATL has experience in numerous industries with wide and varied projects, including buildings, bridges, sporting goods & automotive components. In addition to Nick, the engineering team includes Justin McDermott and Kai-Yih Lee, who also hold a Bachelor of Engineering (Mech)(Hons).
“Engineering capabilities are fundamental and essential in supporting our composite materials offering to ensure application and customer success,” Cossich explained.
“At an engineering level, the work is never done in isolation, and we all obtain a significant amount of complementary support, especially on a practical basis, from every level of the team at ATL. R&D has been critical to our growth, and we have a significant number of staff members are involved in all aspects of composite materials and process research, as well as epoxy chemistry ‘engineering’ for our business. Their expertise is also essential at a technical level.”
CASE STUDIES
DEEP SEA CHALLENGER
James Cameron’s The Deepsea Challenger was an engineering feat — a custom-built, single-person submersible designed for a solo dive to the Challenger Deep, the ocean’s deepest point, in 2012. ATL’s R&D chemists focused their laboratory efforts on formulating a system that would achieve the critical engineering parameters required to withstand 16,500 psi/114 MPa of sea pressure at the maximum depth. The result was a customised epoxy formulation that exhibited outstanding compressive strength and impressive toughness.
ATL’s engineering team also worked closely with the designer, project manager and builder during the construction process, contributing to the development of various proprietary methods used in the epoxy bonding and manufacture of composite parts for the project.
PILOT BOATS FOR PNG PORTS CORPORATION
ATL Composites undertook the composite engineering for a series of 14.2-metre pilot boats built for Papua New Guinea Ports Corporation Limited. ATL Composites engineered the pilot vessels to meet DNVGL: 1A HSLC R2 CREW and worked closely with Norman Wright & Sons naval architects and master tradesman to integrate unique composite construction, combining resin-infused and pressed GRP cored panels with DNV-GL approval. The design allows for a reduced centre of gravity for superior stability enhancing pilot safety when alongside ships, along with wide, flush, uninterrupted side decks around the entire vessel for optimum safety.
“I’ve always dreamed of diving to the deepest place in the oceans. For me, it went from a boyhood fantasy to a real quest,” James Cameron, Film Maker & Adventurer.
