Sports Equipment

Chomarat, a historical actor in the sporting equipment market

The company was one of the very first players to participate in the development of composites for skis. Exceptional know-how in ribbon weaving is one of its many assets.  The flexibility of this technology is particularly well suited to the ski manufacturing process. It allows production of narrow widths with a preferential axis at 0°, using a wide variety of materials (glass, carbon, aramid, basalt, natural fibers, etc.). Ribbons have the particularity of combining technical function with aesthetics.

Chomarat also uses multiaxial technologies, widely praised by ski manufacturers.  Available in various constructions (biaxial or triaxial), these NCF reinforcements can be combined with fabrics, cut into strips, and made from different fibers.

Innovative reinforcements for winter sports

The sporting equipment industry is constantly searching for ways to optimize its processes and the quality of its products. In order to meet the accompanying demand, Chomarat has developed C-PLY™, a range of carbon-based multiaxial reinforcements (NCF).

Close collaboration with Steve W. Tsai, Professor Emeritus at the University of Stanford, has led to the development of C-PLY™ for tight angles (20 to 30 degrees). This patented, fully innovative reinforcement has allowed us to improve the fatigue resistance and lower the weight of parts with preferential direction such as skis, for better control of dynamics and behavior on different types of snow.

The performance of Chomarat reinforcements has also proved useful for tubular structures such as bike frames, for which the stiffness/weight ratio of each tube section must be calculated and optimized. Fabric or multiaxial is then selected based on fiber orientation, but also on the required final appearance.

Combining design and structure

More recently, Chomarat has developed C-WEAVE Design, a range of carbon fabrics combining original design and structural performance: 100% carbon reinforcement, or carbon/Innegra™ hybrid reinforcement, providing shock resistance and vibration damping, particularly appreciated in sporting equipment.

With C-WEAVE Design, Chomarat has broadened its offer to include products for premium quality appearance, intended for demanding markets. The size of the design is particularly well suited for large parts such as surf boards or hydrofoils.

Innovation, at the heart of the Chomarat strategy.

The Chomarat Group participates in the I-COMP Sport applied research consortium, whose studies are hosted in Singapore at the Institute for Sports Research, in the prestigious Nanyang Technological University.

One of the developments, conducted jointly by Chomarat and the ISR, demonstrates the possibility of using an automated technology which combines RTM and dry, preformed shapes to produce a high performance racquet prototype. This technique, combined with optimized reinforcements, is an alternative to conventional pre-impregnated technologies, thereby reducing human error while guaranteeing consistent quality.