Flexible, lightweight, strong and fully customisable bladders for a broad range of applications

For decades, Aero Tec Laboratories has been at the forefront of bladder technology. The world-leader for Safety Fuel Cells in Motorsport, ATL has supplied every Formula 1 team for over 25 years and is the manufacturer of choice for all major motorsport OEMs.

We strive to create bladders that exhibit ultimate performance levels, with minimal weight, maximum strength, incredible flexibility, and are perfectly tailored to suit their intended application.

Applications

Our bladders applications are not limited by industry. Following prolific use in Motorsport our bladders are now used heavily in Automotive, Marine, Aerospace, Subsea and Industrial applications to name just a few.

New and innovative solutions using our technology are being conceived and implemented every day.

Whether part of a vehicle, a system, structure, industrial equipment, be it land based, marine/subsea, or travelling through our atmosphere and even in space, we have the technology to create the bladder you need.

Applications can be designed for safety, robustness, ultimate performance, delicate experiments or apparatus. If we are yet to create something to suit your new, innovative or experimental idea, challenge us to meet your ambitious goals.

Materials

We currently have over 100 different proprietary materials available to suit the wide variety of applications that we cater for. These include crashworthy materials for use in regulated industries such as Manned Aviation, Motorsport and Marine applications, as well as ultra-lightweight and thin materials used to create UAV bladders, inflatables and other such devices. Should one of our many material choices not suit a requirement, we have continual research and development, meaning a bespoke material can be created for the right project.

Shape

ATL are able to create any shape that can be conceived thanks to the capabilities of our bladder technology. There are very few limitation to shape, with even the smallest detail and most complicated geometry possible for manufacture. This allows the bladder to fit in intricate spaces, perfectly following the form of any containment vessel. Equally, vast and simple shapes such as pillows are utilised for bulk storage systems.

Recent development has given ATL the ability to form some panels to an extent that it removes the need for faceting, reducing material usage and therefore reducing weight and increasing flexibility. All of our developments are available to customers, with the ATL technical team suggesting enhancements for all projects where relevant.

Internal Equipment, Architecture & Hardware

Thanks to our advanced technology, it is possible to incorporate a vast array of features and equipment into our bladder assemblies.

Utilising one or a number of our lightweight materials, we can incorporate baffle systems, collectors, channels and all manner of methods to control fluid into a bladder. This can include equipment such as pumps, trap doors, regulators, filters, level sensors and float switches, pressure sensors and flow sensors. If we do not have a ready-made solution we will develop one.

It is also possible to include almost any external hardware, fittings, ports, or connecting equipment by mounting them either onto access plates or directly through our bladder material.

We have a wide range of stock parts that can be suggested or adapted for use, and on-site capabilities to design and manufacture custom equipment where necessary. We can also accept free-issue parts for inclusion on custom projects. 

Quality

As an ISO 9001:2015 accredited business, quality assurance and continual improvement are embedded in the fabric of our culture. Computer aided design and manufacturing ensure repeatability, and our quality systems are second to none.

Popular Uses

Beyond being fitted to the vast majority of racing vehicles across the world, our bladders are particularly popular for use in unmanned systems thanks to the weight savings they achieve.

Some of the world’s most recognisable UAVs feature ultra-lightweight bladders thanks to our technology being the lightest possible solution coupled to incredible performance are durability.

Our bladders can also be found in a huge variety of marine applications. These include race boats, patrol boats, amphibious vehicles, work boats and leisure craft, all benefitting from the unique shapes that ATL can create, thereby expanding capacity whilst reducing weight and reliability. Our flexible bladders are immune to the shock and vibration that cause so many alternative solutions to fail.

Hidden deep beneath the ocean, our bladders can also be found servicing oil and gas equipment, integrated into ROVs and containing a huge range of chemicals and fluids.  There really is no limit, nor substitute for an ATL bladder.

Certifications

ATL bladders are renowned for being the safest fuel bladders available in the world. Where our materials are used in regulated industries, they exceed the certification requirement demanded of them.

With more materials homologated for use in Motorsport by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) than any other manufacturer, we can provide solutions for the FIA FT3-1999, FIA FT3.5-1999 or FIA FT5-1999 standards.

ATL 818-D is a perfect example of our material capabilities. It is an FIA FT5-1999 homologated material and is unbeaten in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

A recent manned aviation project has seen our 910-B material pass all qualification tests for the ETSO C-80 - Flexible Fuel and Oil Cell Material standard and Rotorcraft specific CS-27 puncture strength requirements, meaning that the material is now ready to be qualified by manufacturers at airframe level.

We supply a number of Marine platforms with fuel bladders manufactured from ATL 893-B material fitted with the ATL Flame-Flex cover. These assemblies are capable of containing any fuel type, with zero permeation, and also meet ISA 21487:2012, US Coast Guard Regulation USCG 33 CFR 183.510 and American Boat & Yacht Council ABYC H-24 regulations.