SubscribeAt ILC Dover, the art and science of inflatable design and advanced materials development have come together into robust, engineered shapes for aerospace applications.
Recent advances have produced fabrics and films with strength, flexibility, and other properties that make inflatable structures of these materials superior to traditional production choices in many applications.
Working with suppliers of advanced materials, ILC has developed fabrication techniques and coatings that add unique capabilities in challenging environments such as high pressure missile fins, thermally protected aero structures, and long duration marine flotation.
Advantages of inflatable structures include lightweight, low packing volume, tailorable inflation time, energy absorption, and economy in fabrication. Prototyping is often accomplished in days rather than months typical for metal or composite products.
