ALUULA Composites Inc. is a new advanced materials technology firm creating the next generation of extremely strong, lightweight materials. The company’s unique patented fusion process binds outer layer films to an ultra-light and ultra-strong core, Based and manufactured in Victoria BC, ALUULA is a proven game-changer in kiteboarding performance. After three years, ALUULA is already best in class in wind sports. Now this innovative company is developing next-level materials in conjunction with top companies around the world in aerospace, outdoor gear, sailing, and defense.
ALUULA is the brainchild of British Columbia-based chemists and engineers with a passion for outdoor sports. Their initial objective was to engineer materials that would better serve kiteboarding and the quickly growing wing foiling market. Both had inherited legacy materials and seaming techniques from the sail industry. Technical advancements and material development had stalled. However surging interest in these wind sports started driving innovation and development of new materials. The weight, strength, and performance objectives were clear, but the ALUULA Composites team also understood that a next generation material would have to be tough enough to withstand harsh sun and abrasive beach environments. The challenge was on.
First introduced in 2019, ALUULA’s innovative composites quickly transformed what was possible in wind sports. Not only was it significantly lighter (around half the weight), but it was also stiffer and stronger than existing composite materials.
A kiteboarder using a lightweight ALUULA composite kite can fly in much lighter wind, while increased stiffness delivers much better performance in stronger winds. What was considered impossible before, is now possible. Recently, professional kiteboarder Giel Vlugt performed the first ever “Double Megaloop” using an ALUULA-powered kite – a manoeuvre that eluded riders for more than 15 years.
“We’ve been working closely with ALUULA Composites to launch a new generation of kites. Our team riders and customers are simply blown away by what’s now possible,” said Richard Myerscough, CEO and founder of Ocean Rodeo.
WHAT EXACTLY IS ALUULA?
ALUULA is a new class of composite materials built from components with eight times the strength- to-weight ratio of steel, and yet lighter than nylon, polyester, or aramid. ALUULA Composites have developed a patented fusion process to bind high tech fibres and technical films together without using heavy glues.
IT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING
Water-based wind sports formed the perfect proving ground for this new generation of composite materials. Now the potential of ALULLA Composites is extending far beyond kiteboarding and wing foiling into a world of new possibilities.
“We’re receiving inquiries from a variety of industries from outdoor sports to aerospace. Our ability to fuse ultralight and strong technical materials at the molecular level is generating great interest,” said ALUULA COO John Zimmerman.
ALUULA is in co-development with leaders in several industry sectors where lighter and stronger composites provide clear advantages. These efforts are driving further innovation and Intellectual Property in the material bonding sciences. Meanwhile, very promising additional cross-linking technology development continues between ALUULA and its chemistry partners.