Quality, Assured

No compromise to insure the highest quality masts

Only The Best

We produce the finest bespoke rigs in the world.  As well as the big picture, the difference is in our detailing.  Each small detail adds up to make a significant benefit.

It is therefore logical that quality assurance is of highest importance to us here at Southern Spars. We go to great lengths to ensure that every component that leaves our factory is up to our immaculate standards.

The process of quality assurance begins before the mast is built with material testing, through production with job tracking and immaculate manufacturing techniques and finished off with ultrasound.

Quality Materials

Every batch of raw carbon fibre that goes through our factory is tested to ensure it is up to standard to be used in our rigs.

We measure each batch for; fibre weight, resin content, bleed, glass transition temperature, interlaminar shear strength and cured ply thickness.

Once a mast is built, we take a witness panel from each one and further test that to ensure its glass transition temperature, interlaminar shear strength and cured ply thickness meets specification and that the mast is safe for operation.

End To End Tracking

To remove risks, each component produced by Southern Spars is allocated a Quality Control Documentation Record, which allows us to record a large array of checks to a mast as is progresses throughout the production process.

These include, batch numbers of each piece of laminate used, batch numbers of every layer or patch of carbon, checks at every part of the production process, serial numbers of fittings, weights at key stages of production, photo evidence of installation of all internal parts and centre of gravity testing.

Non Destructive Testing

A big part of our quality assurance program is our non-destructive testing, which includes a thorough phased array ultrasound test, scanning the entire surface area of every mast that leaves our factory. We use highly sophisticated equipment including Pluse Echo and Phased Array scanners.

This method allows us to easily detect any voids and imperfections on the laminate so that we can be sure that when a mast leaves our factory, it is devoid of any imperfections and is 100% fit for purpose.

One site, we have six certified ultrasound technicians who have completed training by R-CON NDT consultants.

Precision Manufacture