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Since its very inception, AZURE is continuously carrying out research and development on advanced high quality materials and technical processes based on the conviction that "research and technical development is the key for tomorrow". With this in mind, we are continuously expanding our technological domains and we have created by innovation integrated technical processes and manufacturing methods to built high performance state of the art products.

The AZURE spearguns & carbon blades have been developed through engineering design, study and analyses, in combination to extensive field testing. More specifically:

Speargun Performance

The AZURE spearguns have been engineered and conceived to guarantee:

• Strength & Durability: All Azure spearguns are multi laminated (9-11 layers) using special chemical and mechanical treatments. This in respect to the wood quality used (Burma Teak) ascertains the desired strength and durability criteria.

• Long Range shot with Optimum Precision: All Azure spearguns have been studied for power set-ups, to obtain fast long range shots and high penetration. With the proper shaft/rubber-band set-up, every speargun design ascertains a highly precise long range shot. You will find this extremely useful in ambushing large prey or during blue-water hunting. Also the heavy duty reverse trigger mechanism used, provides increased length of charge.

• Power shot with reduced drag: Due to the unique design, the friction forces between the body of the gun and the shaft are almost eliminated, as the shaft moves on a thin layer of water upon release. This creates a precise and powerful shot, which combines speed with less power requirements from the rubber bands.

• Enhanced Maneuverability and Minimal Recoil: The volume and shape of the body has been optimized to facilitate the horizontal and vertical movements underwater, and at the same time the mass and shape design, almost eliminates the Recoil of the shot.

• Buoyancy Control: Neutral buoyant with shaft, positive buoyant without shaft, and buoyancy control in respect to shaft weight.

• Long Life Endurance: The high quality materials used by Azure in relation to the lamination and coating technology that is used, result to a speargun that can be "married" to the user. The special coating used, provides 100% UV protection, and wear resistance with re-polishing capability.

• Ergonomics: Ergonomic handmade handles with anti-slip grip for all models

  

To achieve such combinations in one product, the R&D was based on Computer Aided Engineering packages (FEA, CFD) and engineering studies.

The stresses and strains are distributed in the mass of the speargun in a way, allowing the maximum forces to be applied by the rubber bands, without causing any structural fail or structural deflection. For example in spearguns where there is the need to apply multi rubber bands (>1KN force) in relation to heavy shafts, the design assures that there will be no deflection or long term effects to the speargun body and thus will not affect the straight shot.

Due to the unique design of each Azure speargun, the friction forces between the body of the gun and the shaft are reduced, creating a power shot with less force applied by the bands. At the same time there is a hydrodynamic flow when the shaft is released, which in combination to the hydrocells of the groove, creates reduced drag and better precision.The mass of each speargun model has been optimized to provide agility underwater and total neutral buoyancy without affecting the robustness of the construction. At the same time, the shape of each model has been engineered to minimize the drag forces when the speargun is laterally or vertically rotated underwater.

The design of the speargun body is based on a low profile body, which facilitates the lateral movements, and at the same time the width and mass of the speargun are designed to almost eliminate the Recoil of the shot.

Burma Teak & Stainless Steel

The wood that is used for the Azure spearguns is BurmaTeak (Tectona grandis) with country of origin Myanmar. Azure uses only this type of wood in order to ascertain the desired mechanical and quality characteristics of every speargun. In general, the quality of Myanmar Teak is by nature very good compared to the other Teak producing countries of Southeast Asia.

The raw wood material is handpicked in order to ensure the desired quality standards, based on many factors as is the age & origin, the longitudinal grain density and orientation, the moisture content, the presence of knots and defects, etc. Spiral grain, knots, sapwood, shakes of different types, too fast grown, bee holes, and springs, are the defects most undesirable. Afterwards, the wood is treated several times using a special process, before to be laminated in layers according to different grain orientations. Like that, the desired stress and bending resistance is achieved for every Azure speargun.

The metal parts are manufactured from Stainless Steel for ultimate strength and corrosion resistance, and are designed to safely withstand all the loads applied on them.

Why Teak?

Teak is used by "AZURE", because it combines high bending strength, uncomparable durability and resistance, is exceptionally stable under changes of temperature and moisture, and free from warping in drying. Movement due to its low shrinkage is unrivalled among the timbers of the world.

Teak is one of the most durable timbers. On some dry sites, it has lasted for more than seven hundred years. Natural durability is one of the prerequisites that make teak a high quality timber. The teak wood has a natural oil content and a dense grain that resists rot. Has also a very distinctive aroma, that gives its own signature.

"AZURE" utilizes high quality Teak coming from Myanmar. There, four major teak color types are recognized:

• Uniform Golden color, straight grained and even texture and with few markings. Such teak is found in BAGO YOMA forests and the forest of Upper Myanmar. It is the best teak of the country and is much preferred.

• Darker in color and harder, is mostly found in the dry forests of the country. It is a very good teak, that has a higher density and comparatively harder in working properties.

• Uniform grey-brown in color and mostly cross-grained, is found in the northern part of the country. Sometimes bee holes are observed. This variety could be said to be of poor quality in relation, but it is yet better than the standard quality teak of other origins in the teak-bearing region.

• Black stripe teak in Thayet and Taunndwungyi areas with a limited availability. It is a good ornamental timber of good quality.

Mechanical Properties of Teak:

• Avg Dried Weight = 650Kg/m^3

• Modulus of Elasticity = 10.83GPa

• Modulus of Rupture = 96.1MPa

• Crushing Strength = 53.6MPa

• Shrinkage Vol. = 7%

Carbon Blades Performance

Woven Carbon Fibers & Epoxy Resin Composites

AZURE utilizes the highest quality epoxy resin matrix composites reinforced with carbon fiber woven fabrics for the construction of carbon blades. Sandwiched woven carbon fabrics are utilized in sheet forms and are impregnated with special resins using infusion pressure molding technology. Special attention is given not only to the resin matrix but also to the sandwich lamination and orientation of the woven fabrics that contain fibers oriented on two axes. In this way, we provide the desired flexural and tensile strength on multiple load axes, and exhibit good stiffness properties off axis. Sandwiched woven fibers distribute loads across the fibers in a way that result in better flexural strength, toughness, and impact strength. Based on the materials and sandwich construction, the different stiffness characteristics are obtained for our carbon blade models. The mechanical properties of the material we use are:

• Fiber Tensile Strength = 4410MPa

• Fiber Modulus of Elasticity = 235GPa

• Resin Tensile Strength = 74MPa

• Resin Flexural Strength = 135Mpa

• Resin Tensile Modulus of Elasticity = 3490MPa

• Matrix Elongation at Break = 3.5%

Our blade architecture is based on avg 11 carbon sheet pieces, positioned in different angles based on fiber orientation, from zero to 90 degrees, in order to achive the desired technical charecteristics and performance behaviour. The stiffness characteristics  are obtained based on different thicknesses of the carbon sheets used. The lay-up architecture, method and materials used ascertains that:

• there is no twisting of the blade during operation, and thus there is no need for thick side rubber protections.

• the bending of the blade starts to occur from a specific length and not all along the profile, utilizing effectively all the energy transfered from the leg to the blade.

• the bending profile and material characteristics, provides a most efficient speed of retraction and an overall nervous blade behaviour.

• the overall design is based on the concept of deep diving, where the free-diver should ascend fast, utilizing as low effort as possible, and as less leg-movements as possible.