Heritage — variant

The AWTT hexagonal cover family — full lineage

Every product in the AWTT-patented hexagonal floating cover family — original Hexprotect®, AQUA, Fortress, SLIM, Armor Ball AQUA, and EuroCover's Hexofloat®.

The AWTT-patented floating cover family spans six products across two geometries — three hexagonal Hexprotect® variants, the thinner-gauge Hexprotect® SLIM, the spherical Armor Ball AQUA line, and EuroCover’s AWTT design-approved Hexofloat®.

The family at a glance

Product	Geometry	Lineage	Production status	Best for
Original Hexprotect®	Hexagonal modular	AWTT 2010 patent	Retired	Foundational engineering reference — see /heritage/original-hexprotect.
Hexprotect® AQUA	Hexagonal modular	AWTT pre-ballasted refinement (2009)	Current workhorse	Most industrial deployments — reservoirs > 1,000 m², 25+ year horizon, hurricane-rated.
Hexprotect® Fortress	Hexagonal modular	AWTT 2022 patent	Limited release	Demanding envelopes beyond AQUA — case-by-case.
Hexprotect® SLIM	Hexagonal modular	AWTT thinner-gauge variant of AQUA	AWTT catalog	Deployments where AQUA mass is more than the application requires.
Armor Ball AQUA	Spherical	AWTT spherical line	Current	Small / irregular water bodies < 500 m², temporary deployments.
Hexofloat®	Hexagonal modular	EuroCover-tooled, AWTT design-approved	Current	EU-only sourcing, 3–6 week EU lead time (EuroCover-published).

How the family fits together

The hexagonal lineage

The original Hexprotect® (2010 patent) established the self-ballasting hexagonal floating cover category. The Hexprotect® AQUA refinement (released 2009) replaced the open ballast chamber with a sealed, pre-filled, one-piece moulded shell — and AQUA has been the workhorse of the AWTT line ever since. Hexprotect® Fortress (2022 patent) is the limited-release variant for the most demanding envelopes. Hexprotect® SLIM is AWTT’s own thinner-gauge variant — the same patented engineering with a lighter shell for specific application cases.

Hexofloat® — the EuroCover-tooled variant

Hexofloat® is EuroCover Water Systems’ own hexagonal floating cover, manufactured on EuroCover-owned tooling in the European Union and formally AWTT design-approved. It shares the patented working principle of the AWTT line but targets a different procurement envelope: 190 mm tile, 75 MPH wind, 15-year life, 3–6 week EU lead time (all EuroCover-published). See Hexofloat® for the product page.

Armor Ball AQUA — the spherical line

Armor Ball AQUA is AWTT’s spherical floating cover line, also distributed across the EU by EuroCover. The spherical geometry trades the hexagonal tessellation density for the ability to deploy on water bodies where the hexagonal modular geometry does not fit — small surface, highly irregular, or temporary. Armor Ball AQUA is an AWTT/EuroCover catalog product; see the Armor Ball AQUA commercial page on eurocovers.eu for the EU buyer view.

Why generic copies are not in the family

Generic hexagonal floating cover copies on the market today replicate the visible hexagonal shape but typically reintroduce the failure modes the AWTT line has already solved — open self-fill ballast chambers, thinner side walls, flat or shallow central-dome profiles. The patented engineering distinguishes the AWTT family from those copies. See /why-copies-fail for the engineering analysis.

Choosing across the family

The default for an EU industrial buyer is Hexprotect® AQUA — the AWTT-published 130+ MPH wind, 25+ year life envelope is the most defensible spec for a 25-year deployment. The decision tree:

EU manufacturing or short lead time is the binding constraint? Hexofloat®.
Water body under 500 m² or highly irregular? Armor Ball AQUA.
Wind exposure above 130 MPH or design life beyond 25 years? Open a Fortress conversation.
Mass envelope above what the application requires, want a lighter AQUA? Hexprotect® SLIM.
Everything else? Hexprotect® AQUA.

Sources

AWTT — Hexprotect® AQUA hexagonal cover — manufacturer canonical reference for the Hexprotect® line.
EuroCover Water Systems — Hexofloat® product page — EuroCover-published source for Hexofloat® envelope.
EuroCover Water Systems — Armor Ball AQUA product page — EuroCover commercial reference.

For the chronological evolution of the line, see /heritage. For the current product pages, see Hexprotect® AQUA and Hexofloat®.

Frequently asked questions

How many products are in the AWTT cover family? #

Six. Three Hexprotect® hexagonal variants (original — retired; AQUA — current workhorse; Fortress — limited release), one Hexprotect® thinner-gauge variant (SLIM), one spherical product line (Armor Ball AQUA), and EuroCover's EU-manufactured AWTT design-approved Hexofloat®.

Which one should I buy? #

For most EU industrial deployments — reservoirs over 1,000 m², 25-year horizon, no gas capture — Hexprotect® AQUA is the workhorse spec. For EU-only sourcing or shorter lead times, Hexofloat® is the lighter, AWTT design-approved alternative. For small or irregular water bodies under 500 m², Armor Ball AQUA fits where hexagonal does not. Fortress is case-by-case; SLIM is a thinner-gauge AQUA variant for specific cases. See the individual product pages for the envelope details.

Why does the family include both Hexprotect® and Armor Ball products? #

Hexprotect® is the patented hexagonal modular line — AWTT's flagship platform. Armor Ball AQUA is AWTT's spherical floating-cover product line, designed for water bodies where the hexagonal tessellation does not fit (small surface, highly irregular geometry, temporary deployments). Both are AWTT/EuroCover catalog products.

What is Hexprotect® SLIM? #

Hexprotect® SLIM is AWTT's thinner-gauge variant of the AQUA line — same patented engineering, lighter shell, targeted at deployments where the AQUA mass envelope is more than the application requires. SLIM is named here because it is an AWTT-own variant in the family; it is not a generic copy.