MEYER develops custom Type IV composite pressure vessels and HDRX-derived regulators for aerospace, UAV, CubeSat, and bespoke industrial applications. Programme runs from concept review through qualification to production, with a single named engineer-of-record from kick-off to first delivery.
Most cylinder applications fit a stock HDRX product from the 36-cylinder catalog. Custom development is worth the engineering investment when one or more of the following hold:
For everything else, a stock HDRX cylinder is faster, cheaper, and lower-risk. Run the COPV Selector first; if a stock unit fits, that’s the answer.
Initial conversation captures the system: cylinder volume + working pressure, gas, regulator outlet spec, mass budget, envelope, mission profile, qualification target. Output: a written design brief that captures all constraints together. This step is no-charge under standard NDA and committs you to nothing.
Notional cylinder geometry, regulator architecture (if applicable), boss design, fibre layup, and qualification scope. Mass and burst-pressure estimates from analytical and FE models. Envelope drawing for your CAD assembly. Indicative cost and lead time. You decide go / no-go at this gate.
Full mechanical design: cylinder mandrel geometry, winding schedule, boss machining, regulator body, integration interfaces. FE analysis with margin-of-safety reports. Materials selection with traceability path. Manufacturing process documentation. Output: design dossier ready for prototype build and notified-body design review.
First articles produced on the production line. Integration testing in MEYER’s lab — proof, leak, vibration, temperature cycling — before customer delivery. First articles ship for your in-house integration test.
Full ISO 11119-3 / EN 12245 / EN 17339 / programme-specific qualification: burst, hydrostatic cycling, ambient + extreme temperature cycling, drop, fire, gunfire, permeation, sustained-load. Notified-body design review and certificate issue. Indicative cost and timeline detail here.
Stock or programme-specific production lots. Same engineer-of-record who designed the cylinder. Documentation pack ships with each lot.
For programmes that flex spec to fit a stock cylinder where possible: use the Selector first. The fastest answer is “we have it on the shelf.”
For applications where dimensions and mass are critical, MEYER recommends developing the cylinder and the regulator together rather than specifying them independently. Detail: Develop COPV and Regulator Together — When Bespoke Beats Catalogue.
