Offshore staff
LEICESTER, UK — Base Materials has invested £1 million ($1.29 million) in a new 10,000-sq-ft subsea buoyancy production facility in Birmingham, UK.
The complex, located opposite the company’s Frankley-based warehouse and distribution center, will manufacture low-density syntactic materials and buoyancy modules for ROVs, AUVs and human-operated vehicle applications.
The Subtec buoyancy materials, with densities ranging from 385 to 650 kg/cu m, are for use in sea water depths down to 11,500 m. They comprise hollow glass microspheres and a novel thermoset polymer matrix, said to deliver high strength-to-weight characteristics with strong water ingress resistance.
Also on site is a 39,000-liter capacity buoyancy tank for calibrated buoyancy testing and a preparation and spray booth for application of polyurethane protective coating for impact and abrasion resistance; a processing area for blocking up of buoyancy materials into buoyancy modules; an inspection area; and office space.
At the same time, the company has upgraded the testing capability at its laboratory and production site in Whetstone, Leicester, following the addition of a hyperbaric pressure vessel for hydrostatic crush pressure and water absorption testing.
07.19.2023
