WHAT IS DYNEEMA®?

Dyneema® is an UHMwPE (Ultra High Molecular weight Polyethylene) fibre developed by DSM in the Netherlands little over 20 years ago. An ingredient material in many of our ropes, Dyneema® is light weight and renowned as "The World's Strongest FibreTM". So what makes Dyneema® so special?

High Strength: On a weight for weight basis, Dyneema® is 15 times stronger than steel wire
Light Weight: Size for size, Dyneema® is 8 times lighter than steel wire. Strength for Strength Dyneema is 15 time lighter than steel wire. Dyneema® also has a Specific Gravity of 0.97 which means it floats in water
Water resistant: Dyneema® is hydrophobic and does not absorb water, meaning it remains light when working in wet conditions and is there also more durable
Chemical resistance: Dyneema® is chemically inert, and performs well in dry, wet, salty and humid conditions, as well as other situations where chemicals are present.
UV Resistant: Dyneema® has very good resistance to photo degradation, maintaining its performance when exposed to UV light

DYNEEMA® FOR YACHTSMEN

Dyneema® is the ingredient material of choice for all serious yacht racers and at Marlow we manufacture high performance ropes for everybody from the world's top Grand Prix Racing teams to dedicated club racers. We also manufacture performance ropes with Dyneema® for Kitesurfing and windsurfing.However, ropes with Dyneema® are not just for racers - Marlow's ropes with Dyneema® also afford everyday cruising yachtsmen significant benefits as well as:

High strength: not just a requirement for top racers, allowing them to down size the diameter they use and save valuable weight. With average strengths some 130%* higher than polyester ropes, when conditions get tough Marlow's ropes with Dyneema® give you peace of mind, knowing that they won't let you down.
Light weight: all ropes can be heavy and difficult to handle. Marlow's ropes with Dyneema® are up to 28%* lighter than regular polyester ropes, making them easier and safer to handle for the whole family. The fact that ropes made with Dyneema® absorb significantly less water means that they remain easy to handle even when wet.
Low stretch: at 30% of break load, polyester halyards can stretch by 8%, affecting the set of the sail and handling of the boat. Marlow's halyards with Dyneema® eliminate this worry, allowing you to concentrate on enjoying yourself!
* figures for 10mm diameter ropes

For Marlow's yachting ropes with Dyneema® visit our Cruising / Racing and Dinghy / Windsurfing sections and look for the Dyneema® logo.

DSM Dyneema continues to pioneer developments with the Dyneema® fibre and our Grand Prix Series includes ropes developed using low-creep Dyneema® SK78 and ultra strong Dyneema® SK90. However, at Marlow we have taken the performance of these Dyneema® fibres to the absolute limit but developing our "D12 Max" range of products using Dyneema® SK75, SK78 and SK90. Marlow's "Max" process produces approximately 35% additional strength over an equivalent diameter standard rope with Dyneema®, making our "Max" products our strongest ropes yet.

Visit our Grand Prix Series section for more information about D12 Max and our innovative performance racing system.

You can read much more about Dyneema for sailing at www.sailing.dyneema.com. Also watch the Dyneema video on Marlow TV

DYNEEMA® FOR WINCHES

The use of Dyneema® is not confined only to the sailors. Ropes with Dyneema® are replacing steel wire in many varied applications and Marlow as ever are at the forefront of the Dyneema® revolution.Chief among these new applications is wire rope replacement on winches. Originally pioneered in the recreational 4x4 market, Marlow is now pioneering the use of Winch Lines with Dyneema® in the roadside recovery market and other industrial winching applications.The benefits of replacing steel wire with Marlow's Dynaline winch lines with Dyneema® are as compelling as they are for sailing.

High strength: Weight for weight, Dyneema® is 15 times stronger than steel
Light weight: Dyneema's light weight significantly improves the ease of handling winch ropes.
Floats: An obvious benefit when winching in water logged conditions or environments.
Unkinkable: Unlike steel wire, Dynaline will not kink and loose strength.
No splinters: Handling steel wire often results in wire splinters - no such issues with Marlow's Dynaline
Overlapping: Steel wire will crush and loose strength if overlapped on a winch drum. Marlow Dynaline will not loose strength when overlapped or crushed
No recoil: In the unlikely event of Dynaline breaking there is virtually no recoil, unlike steel wire where recoil is extremely dangerous.

Extensive trials have also found that Dynaline winch lines with Dyneema® need to be replaced less frequently than steel wire. The ease of handling, increased safety and improved longevity of Dynaline winch lines are why more and more industries are making the switch.

For more information about Marlow's winch lines with Dyneema® - Dynaline, Dynaline Max and Dynaline Plus visit our Winch Line section

For other products and applications using Dyneema® visit the following sections and look for the Dyneema® logo

Film & Theatre Rigging
Industrial & Utility
Defence - Personnel Insertion / Extraction
Defence - Towing / Recovery
For more information about Dyneema® visit www.dyneema.com