Lincoln Composites Builds Largest CNG Fuel Tank
ROSWELL, Ga., Oct. 1 - Advanced Technical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATPX) announced today that its Lincoln Composites division has designed, manufactured, and qualified the largest natural gas vehicle (NGV) fuel tank in the world in response to industry requests. These tanks allow the cost of the CNG package of the vehicle to be lowered by hundreds of dollars while also reducing the vehicle weight by hundreds of pounds, and represents an important advance in the cost effectiveness of NGV tanks for alternative fuel vehicles. Lincoln Composites has already received numerous orders from truck and bus customers around the world for this new product.
The latest commercially available TUFFSHELL tank measures 21.2 inches (539 mm) in diameter with lengths up to 120 inches (3048 mm). These tanks have been qualified to the ANSI/CSA NGV2, US DOT FMVSS 304, and ISO 11439 standards. The 21.2 inch diameter tank was developed to provide a high capacity, light-weight tank for the automotive, truck and bus markets. The 21.2 x 120 inch tank weighs only 380 pounds (172.4 kg) and contains 531 liters water volume. One tank at 3600 psi has a capacity of 5606 standard cubic feet (SCF) of compressed natural gas (CNG) which is equivalent to 40.3 gallons diesel fuel. Not only is this tank lower in cost and weight per SCF, but having fewer large tanks on a vehicle results in a reduction in plumbing and mounting hardware.
"Range is a serious issue for the alternative fuel vehicle industry," stated William Dick, Vice President of NGV Products at Lincoln Composites. "We are uniquely capable of manufacturing NGV fuel tanks of this size because of our processes and in-house engineering expertise. These tanks are perfect for medium and heavy duty vehicles including refuse trucks. The bus industry is taking advantage of the 21.2 inch tank by using fewer but larger tanks, making the CNG (or Hydrogen) system more cost-effective."
Lincoln Composites specializes in filament winding high performance composite structures. This core technology was initially developed in 1963. In addition to the natural gas vehicle (NGV) industry, Lincoln continues to manufacture products for additional commercial markets and the Aerospace & Defense industries. The current product line includes: high pressure gas storage tanks for a variety of aircraft, NASA's space shuttle, and communications satellites and satellite rocket launchers; external fuel tanks for the UH-60, AH-64 helicopters and F/A-18 E/F fighter aircraft; a variety of solutions for the oil and gas industry including tubular products; and plastic lined pressure vessels for offshore oil platforms.
Advanced Technical Products, Inc.'s divisions include Intellitec, Lincoln Composites, Lunn Industries and Marion Composites. The Company's products are used in a variety of applications in the aerospace and defense industries, as well as commercial markets. ATP designs, develops, and manufactures high-performance radomes, aircraft components, rocket motor cases, pressure vessels, fuel tanks, shelter systems and other advanced composite products utilizing various production capabilities. The Company is also a leader in the design, development and manufacture of biological and chemical detection and protection systems. ATP also designs and manufactures electronic products for the specialty vehicle market. Further information on Advanced Technical Products, Inc. is available at www.atpx.com .
"Safe Harbor" Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding the present intentions and expectations of management of ATP, such as "We are uniquely capable of manufacturing NGV fuel tanks of this size because of our processes and in-house engineering expertise." Certain factors beyond ATP's control could cause results to differ materially from those in these forward-looking statements. Risk factors include general market conditions, dependence on the aerospace and defense industries, the level of military expenditures and competition in the markets for ATP's products, and are more fully described in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.