Base Materials established a new 10,000 square feet state-of-the-art production facility in Birmingham, UK, marking a significant investment designed to propel subsea buoyancy growth.
Located opposite its existing Frankley-based warehouse and distribution center, Base Materials’ new production facility houses the manufacture of its high-performance, low-density syntactic materials and buoyancy modules for remotely operated vehicle (ROV), autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and human operated vehicle (HOV) applications.
With densities from 385 – 650 kg/m3 designed for use in seawater depths of down to 11,500 meters, Base Materials’ Subtec buoyancy materials comprise high-grade hollow glass microspheres and a novel thermoset polymer matrix, producing ultra-high strength-to-weight characteristics with excellent water ingress resistance.
The £1 million investment houses a 39,000-liter capacity buoyancy tank for calibrated buoyancy testing and a preparation and spray booth for the application of polyurethane (PU) protective coating for impact and abrasion resistance and aesthetic paint finishes. The new facility also boasts a processing area for the blocking up of buoyancy materials into buoyancy modules, an inspection area, and office space.
Base Materials’ latest investment has also seen the bolstering of its testing facilities at its laboratory and production site in Whetstone, Leicester, following the addition of a hyperbaric pressure vessel for hydrostatic crush pressure (HCP) and water absorption testing.
Base Materials’ Subtec buoyancy materials come in standard block sizes of 750 millimeters-by-500 millimeters-by-50 millimeters and are available in grades and densities to suit a range of water depths from 2,000 meters to 11,500 meters. Each grade is color coded to ensure depth ratings match within buoyancy assemblies.
Base Materials also provides finished buoyancy modules manufactured to exact customer specifications and drawings, with a newly formed team of dedicated project managers and CAD engineers working closely with our supply chain network.
