May 29 2014
As a composite armor industry veteran, Leading Technology Composites (LTC) is no stranger to light weight ballistic armor solutions. It comes as no surprise that their latest innovations have yielded the industry’s lightest, most robust, armor systems, providing state-of-the-art performance at a significant weight reduction.
Todd Lair, LTC President, commented, “By applying our XPS2 system of advanced processing to Dyneema® Force Multiplier Technology materials from DSM Dyneema we’ve been able to achieve unprecedented levels of performance at significantly lower areal densities. The XPS2 process requires that a tightly controlled set of processing parameters be maintained during the consolidation processes. After consolidation, secondary hot and cold processing further improves the ballistic performance with the final result yielding a tremendous leap forward in performance. In our initial integrations of these systems on vehicle platforms we’ve provided our customers with substantial weight savings on the order of 25-45% lighter than legacy systems. Likewise, similar results of 10-20% weight savings have been realized on our personal protection products such as body armor inserts.”
These groundbreaking systems are manufactured using Dyneema® Force Multiplier Technology. This innovative technology delivers products with a unique combination of exceptional ballistic performance and the lightest weight and lowest profile of any ballistic material currently on the market.
“We are proud that LTC selected our new Dyneema® Force Multiplier Technology platform to create their latest range of industry leading innovative products.” said Shitij Chabba, global segment director, life protection, DSM Dyneema. “Our radical innovation platform, Dyneema® Force Multiplier Technology is enabling manufacturers to create innovative next-generation designs, increase protection without adding weight, and optimize usability.”
Rick Scheer, LTC Sr. Vice President, explained, “we’ve taken the newest and most advanced UHMWPE raw materials and applied our extensive manufacturing expertise to develop this leap forward in performance. This, combined with our innovative integration designs for vehicle platforms, can save our customers literally hundreds of pounds over legacy armor systems. Likewise, we’ve realized major improvements in performance, weight and backface deformation for a number of personal protection ballistic insert designs.”
In addition to significant reductions in weight, LTC offers the most robust and end-user friendly solutions in the industry. Mr. Scheer further explained, “There’s no advantage to having the lightest protection available if the end product is not able to withstand the rigors of daily use and abuse. Years of experience have allowed us to develop a thorough understanding of what it takes for an armor system to survive in a number of different environments. This knowledge has allowed us to develop innovative mounting systems and patented edge protection that keeps weight to a minimum while ensuring that the installed armor exceeds our customer’s expectations”. LTC has also developed fully buoyant and patented armor systems providing design options not previously available watercraft or amphibious vehicles.