Wing sail technology

TechHive
The America's Cup: nerves, skill, and computer design
TechHive
The catamarans have a towering, 131-foot wing sail made from a lightweight carbon-fiber frame, covered with plastic sheeting only six times thicker than kitchen wrap.

The use of 3D printing and CNC machining means that we can create assemblies that were previously impossible or just too expensive to prototype.  These modern manufacturing processes mean that we can bring designs into production much more quickly.  3D printed parts can be made strong enough to put into service and this avoids the expensive tooling up required for injection moulded parts.  For highly loaded but less intricate parts, CNC machining is a viable production method.  

The Motorship The wind as fuel The Motorship On the latest developments such as the UT Wind Challenger from Japan, these wing sails are constructed from composite panels that are arranged to telescope into each other so that both sail and...