Scale modelling of an Erosion Control Armoured Block
Coastal erosion specialists
ECPS are coastal erosion specialists. The ECAB System uses a series of interlocking blocks to provide solutions for erosion to coastlines and riverbanks.
The company requested the production of a large number (Approximately 600plus) of scale models in the required material for testing.
A meeting took place with ECPS to understand what they were trying to achieve and what Design+ could do to help them with essential product testing.
Production of scale models
With the year round concern of storms affecting Ireland’s coastline such as Hurricane Ophelia in 2017, ECPS are focused on a long term solution to combat this increasing problem. Manufacturing a scale model of their concept had proven to be very difficult until ECPS. Reaching out to Design+ gave them a real world solution to this issue and allowed them to validate their design.
Having evaluated the objective of ECPS, Design+ were able to 3D print a series of scale models to the client’s specification. These models were used to create a reusable silicone mould with a vacuum casting machine. This reusable mould was then used with a concrete mix to recreate a number of scaled models that were an exact scaled replicate of their product for use in a wave tank. The client was able to take the reusable mould away and reproduce as many of these models as needed to conduct essential testing of their product at Marine and Renewable Energy Institute in University Cork (MAREI).
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Irish company
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reusable mould
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direct funded project
“Thank you for your work on the mould, production has now started. They are doing an excellent job and producing a good block and are easy to extract once they have set properly. It’s great to know Design+ Gateway can provide this service.”
Kevin Lynch
Co Director, ECPS
The ECPS & DESIGN+ Technology Gateway partnership
ECPS was able to conduct extensive testing of their product and this allowed them to prove their design and help them to move forward to full size production and testing. Installing the full size product at a number of locations around the coast of Ireland with the knowledge gained from the scale testing has proved vital to the company. Featuring on RTE program presented by John Creedon’s which focused on coastal erosion in Ireland ECPS could show their solution to this problem through scale testing.