Made with SPECTRA SHIELD & CENTURION
At SHOW Show 2018 on booth #7303, Honeywell showcases vests, helmets and other products containing SPECTRA SHIELD and CENTURION, designed for lightweight, comfortable strength and ballistic resistance.
Honeywell manufactures SPECTRA SHIELD, designed for lightweight, ballistic-resistant armour, and CENTURION, designed for lightweight tactical gear. “Pound for pound, SPECTRA is 15 times stronger than steel, yet light enough to float,” the company states. “It is one of the strongest manmade fibres in the world. Global militaries and law enforcement personnel use SPECTRA products in body armour, helmets and vehicles. When used in some tactical gear, CENTURION can lighten products by up to 40 percent.”
SPECTRA SHIELD is a composite fabric made up of SPECTRA fibre, which was invented by Honeywell in the late 1980s. The patented SHIELD technology moulds the fibre to form SPECTRA SHIELD fabric and make it bullet-resistant, cut-resistant and moisture-resistant.
Companies like Safariland are using SPECTRA SHIELD to create lightweight, ballistic-resistant, law enforcement vests that are comfortable for a variety of body shapes, “and up to 10% lighter than other types of protective vests,” according to the company.
Most protective vests are designed for male or neutral—in other words, flat—body shapes. Contoured vests are either more difficult or expensive to manufacture, or there is not enough demand for them. Female wearers sometimes compensate by adding steel plates or other types of protective padding, but this padding adds extra weight and bulk, not to mention discomfort.
Vests made with SPECTRA SHIELD help minimise these discomforts because they reflect a broader trend in both the military and law enforcement towards lighter, more flexible, ballistic protection. For example, a recent US Military Human Factors Evaluation found that soldiers overwhelmingly preferred gear made with SPECTRA SHIELD over other types of materials because they demonstrated improved mobility and flexibility, and reduced weight, Honeywell says.
DPM
