Mifa develops miniature profiles for Chantiers de l'Atlantique.

Miniature profiles of 8mm wide and 4.9mm high for one of the largest cruise ships in the world

Super small gears, robust connecting profiles, or extremely thin strips. Mifa is one of the few companies in the world that produces aluminium profiles with cross-sections from 3 mm, including the Mifa standard: precision up to ± 0.02 mm.

We do this for various markets where precision and quality play a significant role. Expect miniature profiles in medical precision equipment, microwave and radar components, optics and audio, or measuring and control equipment. Also, in one of the world’s largest cruise ships, you can find Mifa’s precise profiles. Mifa developed profiles that are 8mm wide and 4.9mm high for a ship that is 331 meters long and 43 meters wide!

The customer Chantiers de l'Atlantique

The French marine and fleet company Chantiers de l’Atlantique is one of the world’s largest, innovative shipbuilders. Years of expertise from the staff and a network of co-directors, combined with state-of-the-art industrial tools, have made the company one of the world leaders in the design, manufacture, assembly, and operation of highly complex ships and ship installations.

The most recently developed ship is the MSC VIRTUOSA, ordered by the company. The MSC VIRTUOSA is one of the largest cruise ships in the world, measuring a staggering 331 meters in length and 43 meters in width. The cruise ship has 2440 cabins and can accommodate 6334 passengers.

Customer

Chantiers de l'Atlantique

Market

Mobility

Techniques

Co-engineering: collaboration leads to a practical solution

The client was looking for a supplier to provide a solution for outfitting the suites. The original idea was to produce two profiles, with one profile being screwed to the bulkhead and the other mounted on top of it. The two aluminium profiles are extremely small, making it challenging and time-consuming for the client’s assembly department. To keep this department satisfied, we searched for a solution.

In collaboration with our technical engineers and in consultation with Chantiers de l’Atlantique engineers, we developed a new design with a clever clamping function between the two profiles. Thanks to the clamping function, the client can easily assemble the miniature profiles. This saves a lot of time and frustration during assembly.

The difficulty of the proposed solution arises from the small dimensions of the profiles. The cover profile is only 8 mm wide and 4.9 mm high but requires a high surface quality of the profile. Mifa’s design freedom allows us to actually realize this design. Even with such small profiles, we apply the Mifa standard with an accuracy of plus or minus 0.02 mm. That is precisely the thickness of the aluminium foil you have in your kitchen drawer at home. For comparison, a hair on your head is about 0.05 mm, two and a half times thicker.

More about co-engineering

Benefits for the customer

Mifa’s precision technology closely aligns with the customer’s requirements in this project, offering several advantages:

Precision extrusion: The precise dimensional tolerances of the miniature profiles allow for easy assembly without the need for adhesives. This eliminates the risk of adhesive stains.
One-stop-shop: Thanks to Mifa’s one-stop-shop capabilities, all treatments are done in-house. In addition to extrusion and machining, Mifa Surface Treatment handles the finishing of the profile with surface treatment. These in-house techniques save both costs and time for the customer.

The first profiles have been delivered and seamlessly installed by the customer’s employees. For the customer, Mifa’s solution was a welcomed improvement in the development of the suites, providing more peace of mind and satisfaction.