The quest for supreme lightness, exceptional strength and captivating aesthetics means more and more luxury product manufacturers are developing new ways to incorporate North Thin Ply Technology’s unique thin ply materials into their products.
NTPT™ began their exciting collaboration with prestigious Swiss brand Richard Mille in 2013, when ThinPly prepregs were first used to produce the original TPT® Black RM 35-01 watch. The distinctive tonneau shaped case was machined from a solid carbon block, formed using 30 micron layers of carbon fibre prepreg cured under immense pressure in an autoclave.
The transition between each layer produces the now familiar “TPT®” appearance on the surface.
Following on from this success, Richard Mille challenged NTPT™ to develop a new white-coloured composite with the brand’s very strict set of specifications. An extensive joint development programme resulted in TPT® Quartz – the world's first thin ply quartz fibre prepreg – that went on to win a JEC World 2016 Innovation Award for both companies.
This 52g/m2 material, that interleaves carbon TPT® with white TPT® Quartz, made its debut in the distinctive RM 27-02 Rafael Nadal edition in 2015. In 2016, Richard Mille followed up with the stunning RM 35-02 Rafael Nadal model, featuring a red version of the quartz prepreg.
To be used in a Richard Mille time piece, the NTPT™ prepreg has to meet an extensive list of performance specifications, starting with a high strength to weight ratio. In addition to being visually attractive and accurately machine able, the project team also has to demonstrate that the material is non-allergenic, UV stable and resistant to a range of chemicals that the watch could encounter during its lifetime.
Now in their third year of working together, NTPT™ and Richard Mille continue to innovate new products and materials including the mechanical fountain pen that combines a machined TPT® barrel with a self winding mechanism.
Having recently launched their luxurious and limited edition wrist-wear collections, Senturion are no strangers to manufacturing with exotic materials. The stunning cuffs, that are each limited to a run of seven, combine precious metals, exotic leathers, gemstones and even sections cut from meteorites that were formed before the Earth’s creation.
Senturion wrist-wear combines a unique look with the ultimate in encrypted security. Compatible with all of the world’s top supercar brands, the Senturion ‘key’ is designed to be synchronized with the wearer’s car.
NTPT™ has worked with Senturion to develop black TPT® carbon fibre enhancements to be used in the latest collection of these 1 in a billion pieces.
From their base in the Alps, Scandela set out to revolutionise eyewear design with an exclusive “out of the box” approach which connects the latest materials technology with traditional handcrafted assembly.
NTPT™ provided the perfect solution to Scandela’s brief for a lightweight, rigid and comfortable new sunglasses frame material that combined high precision manufacturing techniques from F1, aerospace and hi-tech yacht racing with a striking appearance - reinforcing the brand’s focus on innovation and aesthetics.
Scandela’s unique pieces are machined from TPT® carbon blocks. Scandela’s no compromise manufacturing philosophy employs only the finest specialist skills in each area of production; ranging from design to assembly and high-precision CNC machining.
Raw and elemental, the carbon fibre material used gives off a striking feeling of minerality, offering a unique look and feel for the wearer.
Limited to an exclusive production run of 100 numbered pieces, the glasses, with either Platinum or 24K Gold coated lenses, will be available in early 2017.