Within a few short years, the global market for bulletproof glass is expected to reach $7.65 billion after significant growth and investment in virtually every region. This represents an increase of almost double the market value in just six years. Europe and North America are tipped to maintain a disproportionate share of both supply and demand as countries in both regions continue to increase spending on defense and security.

Several factors are fuelling this significant spike in growth, including rising civil unrest, an increase in terrorist threats, and diminished diplomatic relations – both domestically and abroad. In this blog post, Armortex will explore the main markets for bulletproof glass with a granular focus, breaking down the important security concerns for each sector.

Military and Security

As with most ballistics-related products, bulletproof glass was first developed for use in theatres of war. The earliest reported use of glass-laminate systems for blast and ballistics protection was in World War II. Tempered and laminated glass sheets were stacked together and bound with layers of epoxy resin, enabling the development of bulletproof windows and viewports for bunkers and military vehicles. These were functional but unwieldy, due to their inherent heaviness and geometric limitations.

Modern bulletproof glass for military markets is much lighter, even when rated to the highest standards of blast and ballistics resistance. This enables the fabrication of windows with wide fields of view and outstanding optical transmissivity that can reliably withstand recurrent shots from automatic weapons.

Typical applications served by bulletproof glass in the military and security sector include:

• Windows in military bases, bunkers, and guard posts.
• Viewports and windows in ground vehicles and aircraft.

Municipal Buildings

After the war, the outstanding security benefits of bulletproof glass were translated into civil and municipal spaces. The first non-military application of transparent ballistics-resistant laminations was bank security, as it provided a reliable barrier between tellers and armed assailants without inhibiting daily operations and cash transactions.

Nowadays, mid-to-high-rating bulletproof glass is widely used in municipal buildings to improve the safety of personnel without creating an unwelcoming atmosphere or inconvenient consequences for regular business.

Common applications of bulletproof glass in municipal spaces include:

• Transaction windows in community and council buildings.
• Windows for government buildings.
• Witness boxes in courtrooms.

Stores and Commercial Buildings

The onset of more cost-efficient ballistic-resistant materials made bulletproof glass available to a wider market segment with reduced, but no less real, security risks. Shop fronts and transaction windows are now routinely fabricated from UL Level 1-3 bulletproof glass, providing efficient protection from small arms fire and acting as a deterrent to petty criminals and would-be thieves.

School Security

Unfortunately, a growing market segment in the bulletproof glass market is that of school security. In 2017 alone, the market topped $2.7 billion following a spate of fatal school shootings which grew more severe the following year. The conversation surrounding whether schools should be equipped with bulletproof glass continues in the U.S., with many school districts turning to cost-effective ballistic-resistant windows and paneling solutions in the interim.

Bulletproof Glass Products from Armortex

Armortex is one of the foremost suppliers of ballistic- and blast-resistant security systems in the U.S., offering a choice of high-performance products for a choice of market sectors. If you would like to learn more information about the capabilities of our bulletproof windows, simply contact a member of the Armortex team today.

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Bullet resistant glass is designed to stop projectiles without shattering, absorbing their energy and retaining the bullet. Whether the glass succeeds in safely stopping bullets or not depends on several factors, namely: the material and architecture of the glass; the severity of the impacting force and the projectile material; and the number of subsequent impacts. Guaranteeing the specified level of protection requires a testing methodology that can reconcile each of these dynamic factors.

So, how is bullet resistant glass tested and rated? In this blog post, Armortex introduces the UL rating system and outlines some of the rating levels in detail.

What is the UL Rating System?

The UL rating system is a series of tests established by the Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL), a not-for-profit organization focussed on enhancing public safety by founding sets of standards for various products. This organization developed the most widely-accepted set of quality standards for bulletproof glass and is one of few Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories authorized to perform safety testing by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Eight different levels of ballistics resistant glass have been established by the UL, each capable of withstanding security threats of different magnitudes. A brief explanation of each level follows:

• Level 1: Refers to bullet resistant glass able to withstand fire from small caliber handguns. It must be able to resist a minimum of three 9mm FMJs traveling at a minimum velocity of 1,175 feet per second (f/s)
• Level 2: Defines bullet resistant glass designed to withstand fire from larger caliber handguns. It must withstand at least three shots of .357 magnum soft points traveling at a velocity of 1,250f/s.
• Level 3: Refers to bullet resistant glass that can withstand a minimum of three shots of .44 magnum rounds at a velocity of 1350f/s.
• Level 4: Represents a step-up in terms of ballistics resistance. It defines bullet resistant glass that can withstand at least one shot from a .30 caliber rifle with a minimum velocity of 2540f/s.
• Level 5: Covers bulletproof glass designated to withstand at least one 7.62mm rifle FMJ with a velocity of at least 2750f/s.
• Level 6: Is a direct improvement on Level 1, designed to withstand at least five 9mm rounds traveling at an elevated minimum velocity of 1400f/s.
• Level 7: Defines bullet resistant glass designed to withstand multiple hits with 5.56 rifle FMJs with a minimum velocity of 3080f/s.
• Level 8: Designates the highest level of protection available in bullet resistant glass. This level is tested to withstand at least five shots from a 7.62mm rifle.

These ballistics grades are generally grouped together for distinct applications. Level 1 ballistic resistant glass is most suited for small businesses where its main use is as a crime deterrent. Level 2 is similarly used in customer-facing facilities but is typically designated for buildings with more severe security threats such as banks and jewelers.

Level 3 bullet resistant glass is preferred for larger facilities where threat levels are typically more severe. Police stations and government facilities routinely use UL Level 3 rated products, though they are also being increasingly adopted at scale for school security.

Levels 4+ offer comparative levels of protection and are built to withstand fire from assault rifles and automatic weapons. These are implemented in the highest risk applications where the added material costs are justified by the level of threat. Military bases and government buildings typically utilize products rated UL Level 4—8.

Bullet Resistant Glass from Armortex

Armortex is one of the foremost suppliers of bullet resistant products in the U.S. We offer ballistic-resistant windows comprising the highest quality silicate and polymer glass materials, with a choice of framing solutions to ensure comprehensive protection regardless of your application.

If you would like to learn more, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

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Ballistic-grade armor used to be specified based primarily on material hardness, hence the pervasive use of steel plates in body armor and vehicular plating. When a projectile strikes a hard surface it can either ricochet, shatter, or penetrate the material. The ideal situation is that a bullet will impact the hard surface of the plate and fracture. The impacting force will disperse as the shrapnel from the shattered bullet spreads out, protecting the safe side of the plate. Yet there is no guarantee that bullets will strike armor panels with the ideal trajectory.

Ballistic-grade fiberglass composite panels operate on a radically different principle. Comprising a unique lamination of reinforced ballistic-grade textiles, fiberglass composite panels aim to capture and retain incoming projectiles by delaminating.

isolating panels for the economy of heat, building materials for repair of houses and apartments

Outlining Delamination of Fiberglass Composite Panels
Delamination defines the process where textile layers and resins within a composite system separate in response to physical stress. When a bullet strikes a fiberglass composite panel, it will rupture the surface and cause controlled delamination. The energy of the bullet is dissipated across the length of the panel, and the bullet is retained within.

Fiberglass composite panels have been engineered to overcome many of the existing challenges associated with conventional hard-wearing armor plates.

Drawbacks of Conventional Armour Panels
The two most widely-consumed materials for armor plating are steel and hardwearing ceramics like silicon carbide (SiC). Steel has been used ubiquitously in military and security applications since World War II, but the heavy weight profiles of steel plates limited maneuverability. The weight of ballistic steel often exceeds the performance limits of airborne vehicles, significantly reducing range and performance.

Technical ceramics entered the security market during the Vietnam conflict when rotor and aircraft routinely came under fire from small arms weaponry during assaults. Despite the effectiveness of ceramic armor enameling for helicopters and attack planes, technical ceramics remain extremely expensive for practically any market outside of the military.

Benefits of Fiberglass Composite Panels
The first benefit of fiberglass composite panels is their mechanism of action. Rather than relying on material hardness to shatter projectiles, fiberglass allows bullets to penetrate the material before delaminating and retaining the projectile. This underlying benefit has myriad additional advantages.

As hardness is not a critical factor, fiberglass composite panels are sometimes lighter than structural steel. They are also more flexible and easily machinable than most metals, making the material infinitely more suited for architectural ballistic protection applications.

The second benefit is the cost-attractiveness of fiberglass for large area protection. Technical ceramics are so costly that protecting large areas is practically non-viable from a commercial point of view. The likes of silicon carbide are typically limited to proprietary armoring in aviation and aerospace engineering. Fiberglass composite panels can be easily manufactured by treating woven, ballistic-grade textiles in a thermoset resin and curing them in a hydraulic hot press. This enables the formation of large-area, flat and rigid sheets of ballistic grade materials at a fraction of the cost of both steel and ceramic.

Fiberglass Composite Panels from Armortex
Armortex specializes in the development of unique, cost-effective ballistic protection solutions for everyday applications from courtrooms to school buildings. If you would like to learn more about our fiberglass composite panels, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the team today.

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School security today is practically unrecognizable from that of little over a decade ago. Installing metal detectors and bulletproof glass in our schools would have seemed unnecessary in the early- to mid-90s. However, that preconception was challenged on April 20th, 1990: the day of the Columbine High School Shooting.

Columbine was not the first and it is no longer the deadliest school shooting in America’s history, but it remains one of the most infamous. It inspired a spate of copycat crimes and is often cited as a fundamental stepping stone to the grim reality we face today. This tragic event alone suggests that schools should be equipped with bulletproof glass. The question really should be; is bulletproof glass enough to ensure the security of our schools?

Rear View Of High School Students Walking Into College Building Together

Bulletproof Glass and Other School Security Products
The threat of school shootings has turned bulletproof school security into a multi-billion dollar industry. According to data compiled by market research firm IHS Markit, the market topped $2.7 billion in 2017 alone , a year in which 18 people were killed during school shooting incidents. The following year, this figure rose to 60.

School districts have adopted a range of preventative methods to protect pupils and faculty members from armed individuals, whether they are outsiders or their own pupils. Metal detectors are widely considered to be one of the safest ways of preventing active shooter scenarios. Drilling pupils and staff members is also now common practice. Yet increasing numbers of schools are turning to bulletproof glass and ballistic resistant architectural paneling to provide a level of physical security if preventative measures are not enough.

Bulletproof glass can be installed in entryways, in classrooms, in hallways, and within doorframes. They can be engineered to a range of ballistics specifications and tested to Underwriters’ Laboratory (UL) standards. This provides a measure of protection that was previously impossible. Advanced bulletproof glass can withstand multiple impacts from high caliber projectiles and can be integrated into complex structures such as safe rooms and shelters.

There is a great deal of white noise in the school security sector, with entrepreneurs and consultants reaching out to school districts with various solutions and preventative products. While specialist training and bulletproof backpacks may help shore up school district security and provide a measure of peace of mind, the benefits are untested, and the price is often significant. While we agree that you cannot put a price on the safety of our children in school, districts want to guarantee that they are rising to the threat of school shootings in the most effective manner possible.

Find Bulletproof School Security Solutions

This demands a holistic approach to school security. The simple fact is that no one product is sufficient to protect our children at school in the modern age, and while bulletproof glass offers a significant measure of security, they are best implemented alongside additional products and robust training protocols.

School Security with Armortex
Armortex is one of the leading suppliers of bullet and blast resistant products in the U.S. We understand the ethical and cost difficulties associated with improving school security and are committed to absolute transparency when it comes to equipping your school district with ballistic resistant products.

If you would like to learn more about our bulletproof glass products, or school security systems, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

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Protecting your business from theft and armed robbery is a matter of ethical and commercial necessity. There were almost 300,000 robberies carried out across the US in 2017 alone; 118,745 of which involved firearms. This represents an enormous concern for store clerks who routinely operate in positions of vulnerability. The priority in commercial security should always be ensuring the safety of your most valuable asset; your employees.

Robbery is always a risk for cashier booths, convenience stores, gas stations, and other transaction-based working environments. Obviously, the prime attraction for thieves is the presence of high-value commodities and large volumes of cash, yet there are additional factors that play into commercial security concerns. Many stores and cashier booths are manned by individuals or very few employees, making it difficult to deter thieves from conducting a robbery. Extended opening hours may also pose a commercial security risk. Yet one of the largest issues is the fact that cash is typically consolidated in a single, or closely confined, space that is only minimally secured.

The cash desk is the primary point of vulnerability for any store. You can train your personal to react and respond to commercial security threats, but there is no guarantee that this conditioning will protect them in the event of an armed robbery. This training is also insufficient from a commercial standpoint. Most protocols call for staff to surrender to the demands of thieves, which can result in substantial monetary losses. Although it is impossible to quantify the value of such training in protecting your personnel from harm, there are solutions that can improve the safety of both your staff members and your daily takings.

Bulletproof Commercial Security Solutions
Augmenting your store or cash booth with bulletproof products can dramatically enhance your commercial security practices. Putting a physical barrier between your employees and thieves severely reduces the risk of strong-arm robberies. This simple solution can be expanded to mitigate firearms-related threats by constructing a barrier that is resistant to ballistic projectiles and blasts.

Ballistic glass can enhance your commercial security without impacting your day-to-day operations. It is transparent yet secure, facilitating a safe customer-facing environment that is protected from direct and repeated gunshots. Bulletproof glass can also be housed in anti-ricocheting frames to eliminate risks associated with lateral penetration or incidental bullet deflection.

Find Store Security Doors & Windows

These can also be integrated with unique cash- and product-handling solutions to limit the impact that bulletproof commercial security solutions have on the way you run your business. Transaction draws effectively isolate cash during transactions, eliminating risks associated with physically handing money over to customers. Deal trays similarly isolate cash, creating a narrow aperture that customers and employees can use to navigate physical transactions. Package receivers are more specialized solutions. These utilize a self-contained chamber with an interlocking device that ensures only one door can be opened at a time. Items can be placed within the chamber and passed through bulletproof screenings without presenting windows of opportunity to would-be thieves.

Commercial Security Solutions from Armortex
Armortex® provides a broad range of commercial security solutions for stores, gas stations, banks, and other properties where high volumes of cash are routinely handled. We have developed entire storefronts using our aluminum bulletproof windows, ensuring that both customers and employees are protected from incidental gunfire in active shooter situations.

If you would like more information about Aluminium Security Windows from Armortex, or have any questions about our other commercial security products, please contact us directly.

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Innovation in the field of ballistic resistance has historically followed breakthroughs in the field of firearms. Italian engineers first experimented with the idea of the bulletproof vest in the 1500s, following the invention of the wheel lock rifle. The design was a composite of layered metal plates designed to absorb impacts and shatter incoming projectiles, but the results were largely ineffective. Ballistic fiberglass panels have arisen as a direct result of centuries of research into protective apparel and architectural solutions.

In this blog post, Armortex explores the history and performance of ballistic fiberglass panels in greater detail.

Bullet-Proofing through the Ages

Despite offering inferior protection against firearms, metal remained the material standard for bulletproofing due to its good availability and generally low cost. This began to change in the 1800s with the onset of so-called soft body armor that exploited the unusual ballistic resistant qualities of silk. Composite body armor was sewn using layers of silk and canvas which proved suitably resistant to shots from a contemporary revolver at close range. Archduke Franz Ferdinand owned a bulletproof vest of this design yet he was not wearing it on the day of his assassination, which subsequently sparked the First World War. Owing to the high cost of silk, this solution was not adopted at scale for some time.

Soft body armor based on this early design began to find use during World War II, which coincided with a great increase of interest in the world of composite materials. Fiberglass panels were suddenly consumed in significant volumes for use in military aircraft. Today, many military and civic helicopters are comprised of over 50% composite materials including fiberglass panel fuselages and carbon-reinforced polymer rotors.
Performance of Ballistic Fiberglass Panels
The ballistic performance of fiberglass panels is determined by their unique laminate structure. This is engineered by weaving ballistic-grade fiberglass roving and treating it with a thermoset resin via mechanical injection. Hot-pressing cures the fiberglass panels into rigid sheets which can weigh much less than steel, with superior impact-resistant properties.
Fiberglass panels disperse the force of incoming projectiles and delaminate to capture and retain projectiles as opposed to shattering them. This tried-and-tested technique can be customized to meet Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards 1—8.
To put that in context; fiberglass panels certified for UL level 1 protection can withstand three shots from a 9mm handgun at velocities of up to 1295 feet per second (ft/sec). Fiberglass panels certified for UL level 8 protection can withstand five shots from a 7.62mm assault rifle at velocities of up to 3025 ft/sec.
Fiberglass Panels from Armortex
Armortex® fiberglass panels are fully UL-compliant and are engineering with the approval of the U.S. Marshal Service. We can provide ballistic resistant solutions for a broad range of application areas, including banks, courtrooms, government facilities, and schools.
If you would like to learn more about our fiberglass panels, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

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Fiberglass was first engineered as a lightweight alternative to structural materials for various modes of transit, typically boats and small aircraft. Yet novel design techniques and new methods of developing polymer composites reinforced with glass fibers unlocked a raft of novel qualities, including excellent impact resistance characteristics. The material subsequently emerged as an unlikely contender for ballistic protection applications. This potential was rapidly expanded and explored to the point at which fiberglass panels are now among the leading components for structural bullet proofing applications.

In this blog post, we will explore bullet proof fiberglass panels in more detail.

Outlining Fiberglass

Fiberglass is a reinforced material comprised of a glass fiber embedded into a polyester resin matrix. It can be arranged and flattened into a rugged panel which is suitable for a broad range of applications.

Roving is commonly used to weave functional textiles that can be impregnated with a liquefied polyester resin and formed into a flat panel. This is one of the primary methods used to manufacture fiberglass panels.

Generic fiberglass panels are unlikely to resist the direct or even lateral impacts of ballistics, however. In order to provide blast and ballistic security solutions, fiberglass panels must be woven from ballistic-grade fiberglass and impregnated with carefully-controlled volumes of resin-to-fiber to guarantee the desired end-product functionalities.

Explaining Ballistic Grade Fiberglass Panels

New generations of fiberglass panels fabricated from ballistic grade cloth and high-performance resin can be engineered to withstand multiple, direct impacts, from small arms fire and blasts. They can be engineered to meet levels 1 – 8 of the Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) specifications, providing extensive protection from ballistic threats.

For example; Armortex® fiberglass panels of just a nominal ¼” thicknesses can meet UL1 specifications for protection from a 9mm handgun. Higher grade protection is typically afforded by thicker fiberglass panels, with roughly a nominal 1.5” thicknesses providing substantial protection from multiple high-velocity impacts.

Fiberglass Panels from Armortex

Armortex® is one of the foremost suppliers of ballistic-resistant security solutions in the US. We provide high-performance fiberglass panels for bullet-proofing facilities as varied as courtrooms, schools, and stores. Each of our fiberglass panels is woven in-house, utilizing a roving fiberglass textile that can stop, capture, and retain incoming projectiles with confidence.

Our extremely hard fiberglass panels are available in standard widths of up to 4’ and lengths of up to 10’. If you would like any more information about the performance of our fiberglass panels, please contact a member of the Armortex® team.

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Security doors are designed to shore up your defenses against forced entry and ballistic impacts. When a security threat becomes apparent, your personnel require a last line of defense to guarantee their safety. Standard fiberglass and wooden doors provide very little protection against determined assailants. Even the lowest caliber firearms can penetrate standard materials, representing a significant risk of harm if armed individuals attempt to force entry.

Wooden security doors are engineered to eliminate the risk of injury due to ballistic penetration. They are designed to match commercial aesthetics without limiting their protective functionalities, with a cold-rolled steel frame that is prime painted and veneered particle board with a protective fiberglass core. Varying thicknesses provide ballistic protection through levels 1 – 8, depending on your requirements. These are facilitated with anodized aluminum gear hinges prepped for various devices.

Armortex® provides five proprietary wood security door types, each of which is designed to combat both direct and lateral penetration, as well as ricocheting. Bullets are captured and retained within the structure of the security door, reducing the likelihood of intentional or random injury. This blog post will explore the five styles we offer in more detail.

Flush Wooden Security Doors

Simple and functional, our flush wooden security doors are equipped with Armortex® proprietary bullet-resistant armor and offered in an unfinished veneer. The non-ricochet frame is comprised of 16 gauge (GA) prime painted steel, ensuring secure installation and outstanding levels of protection against forced entry.

View Lite Security Doors

Armortex® view lite security doors are engineered with a ten-by-ten inch viewing window set centrally at head height in the panel. This is comprised of bullet resistant glazing in a wooden trim, maintaining outstanding protective capabilities while offering a safe way to observe the threat side of the door from the safety of the protected side.

Half Lite Wooden Security Doors

Our half lite wooden security doors extend the viewability of our view lite security doors with a rectangular viewing window that is fifteen inches wide and over thirty-two inches in height. This is secured in an internal neoprene setting block and offers unrestricted observation of threats through a high-grade ballistic resistant glass.

Full Lite Security Doors

Armortex® full lite wooden security doors offer total viewing with a near-full-length window set centrally in the door panel. It offers similar levels of protection and visibility to the half-lite design, with primarily aesthetic differences.

Slim Lite Wooden Security Doors

Our slim lite wooden security doors provide restricted viewing of the threat side from the safe side of the door, with a narrow panel of ballistic-grade glass offset towards one edge of the door. This is similarly finished in an attractive wooden trim.

Wooden Security Doors from Armortex

Armortex® is one of the US’s leading suppliers of ballistic and forced entry resistant products for various application areas. We have supplied a broad range of solutions for banks and other financial institutions, cash checking facilities, courtrooms, corporate offices and buildings, government institutions, and more.

If you would like more information about our wooden security doors or have any questions about our specific designs, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

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Bullet-resistant security windows are comprised of a composite system of alternating glass and polymeric layers – typically polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). These dissipate the force of an impacting projectile before it penetrates through the other side of the window. Bullets are captured within the composite, providing effective protection for personnel from a variety of small arms fire.

The added weight of additional materials in sequential layers presents a distinct challenge for the installation of bullet-resistant glass. They require more robust window frames that are themselves resistant to lateral penetration from ballistics, without posing an unfavorable risk of bullets ricocheting and causing harm to bystanders.

Benefits of Aluminium Security Windows
Aluminum is a very favorable material for constructing the frames of security windows due to its comparatively low cost and good strength-to-weight performance. It is more cost-efficient than steel alloys and can be less invasive to install due to the lower weight profiles of aluminum security window frames. Although lighter than steel, aluminum security windows are still heavyweight products tested to the highest levels of ballistics resistance established by the Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL).

Armortex aluminum security windows boast the added benefit of a non-ricochet material incorporated into the design which allows the capture of projectiles. This strengthens a potential weak-point and reduces the risk of lateral penetration into a protected environment.

Although protection and ballistic-resistance is the primary concern of security windows, they are often installed to perform a dual functionality. Aluminum frames and fixtures enable the design of a broad range of security windows suitable for active commercial environments, to ensure that security and profitability are never at odds with one another. Some of the designs available from Armortex include:

• Fixed and clamp-on aluminum security windows;
• Thermally-broken aluminum frames for outstanding temperature regulation in cold climates and outdoor applications, such as ticket booths;
• Speak through aluminum security windows feature natural voice propagation or an embedded voice transmission device to enable easy communication from one side to the other;
• Transaction frames may comprise a small aperture beneath the glass, or a hinged or sliding panel that enables restricted access from one side of the security window to the other.

Aluminium Security Windows from Armortex
Armortex specializes in bullet, blast, and forced entry protection solutions capable of withstanding even severe domestic security threats. We work closely with architects and contractors to meet both the functional and protective requirements of the end-use application. All the above aluminum security window designs are available with a choice of glazing types and thicknesses, offering the highest level regardless of additional requirements.

If you would like more information about our aluminum security windows, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

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Cashiers, law enforcement personnel, financial workers, and even schoolchildren must be aware of the severity of domestic security threats and how best to resist and react to scenarios involving armed thieves or active shooters. Scenarios involving active shooters are typically over within 10 – 15 minutes, which means that individuals must be made aware of how to respond before law enforcement arrives at the scene. The most efficient way to protect vulnerable individuals is to provide a level of passive ballistic security such as bullet-resistant glass.

This blog post will explore the components used to improve ballistic security with bullet-resistant windows and glass.

What is Ballistic Security Glass?

Glass is brittle and hard, which means it cannot deform in response to localized impacts. Bullets will pass through regular commercial windows with little to no loss of energy, providing no ballistic security for individuals in the line of fire.

Bullet-resistant glass is often fabricated as a laminate or composite material comprised of multiple alternating layers of glass and plastic. These materials can also be used independently. Reinforced 100% glass can be engineered for ballistic security while other bulletproof products are made entirely from polycarbonate or acrylic. Typical polymers used in a glass laminate include ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) or polyvinyl butyral (PVB), which serve to hold layers of glass together following a break. Rather than pass rapidly through a single pane of glass, a bullet’s energy dissipates through the layers, slowing it to a stop. This provides enhanced levels of ballistic security for individuals operating cash desks, ticket booths, and customer-facing desks.

Unfortunately, the term ‘bullet-proof’ is something of a misnomer. There is no way to ensure that ballistic security glass is impervious to all the domestic security threats of today. Most bullet-resistant glass offers substantial protection against small arms fire such as a 9 mm or .357 Magnum, but repeated impacts will gradually reduce the integrity of the product. This could cause spalling, where shards break free from the structure, or subsequent bullets to penetrate the laminate.

Security levels for ballistic security systems have been put in place by the Underwriters Laboratory (UL), which has tested various glass composites against projectiles of different calibers. Generally, the usual requirements of banks and convenience stores are covered by levels 1-3.

Ballistic Security Windows

One of the primary challenges of engineering bullet-resistant windows is that ballistic security is merely one of the product’s mandatory functionalities. In many instances, they must also be integrated with passive voice transmission to ensure that employees and customers can communicate with one another easily. Bank tellers, for example, must be able to speak with customers in as natural a manner as possible. Employees operating ticket booths must be able to conduct transactions in a safe environment, requiring some form of aperture for receiving cash and handing over tickets.

Architects must also consider the materials used to frame the glass to ensure optimal ballistic security. Typical steel and metal alloys are used for bullet-resistant windows, but these represent an additional threat in the form of ricochets.

Ballistic Security Solutions with Armortex

Armortex has been manufacturing bullet-resistant windows for over three decades, with extensive experience serving architects and contractors designing courtrooms, government offices, convenience stores, police stations, and much more.

We can improve your ballistic security with bullet-resistant windows and glass augmented for specific applications with pass-through transaction equipment and secure speakers. If you would like any more information about our window products, please do not hesitate to contact us.

[Sources: DHS]

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