by Bing Carbone
Modern Plastics proudly carries top-quality plastics from Covestro, formerly Sheffield Plastics. They have created the ultimate solution in building security and protection from intrusion or assault. Depending on the product selected, Hygard bullet resistant sheets can resist handgun rounds, or it can stand up to high-powered ballistics all the way up to blast forces.
Hygard laminate sheet has made its way into law enforcement, government and commercial applications as the premier solution for anti-intrusion and protection measures. Bayer Science’s Covestro division holds themselves to the highest standard of testing these materials to assure their resistance, even upholding a seven year limited warranty against natural wear or yellowing.
For these reasons, Modern Plastics is not only proud to offer different sizes, grades and fabrications of Hygard sheet, but we are also quick to recommend it as a comprehensive security and protection solution for a wide range of applications.
Properties of Hygard Sheets
The high-strength polycarbonate construction is further fortified by the addition of protective coatings as well as multiple material plies depending on the level of needed resistance.
- A solid polycarbonate base layer provides the foundation of protection. This material is extremely stable and resistant to impacts of varying natures.
- Additives are included in the polycarbonate to resist yellowing and splintering. These properties help Hygard sheets maintain their crystal-clear, glass-like transparency even after attack. Unlike bullet-resistant glass, attacks do not result in “spider-web” spalling or white out that eliminates visibility and makes responding to threats difficult.
- Exterior surfaces have a Tuffak AR hard coat that makes cleaning easier while resisting marring, scratches, chemical attacks or graffiti.
- Multiple plies can be used to increase protection against ballistics or blast impact.
- Some applications, such as Hygard Sentinel, have proprietary steel mounting structures embedded that offer protection against terrorism or natural disaster, exceeding U.S. Military standards.
- All Hygard products have a seven-year limited warranty that covers coating failure, yellowing or hazing not resulting from misuse or outside forces.
- All of these materials are lightweight and represent a low-cost, lower-maintenance alternative to most bullet-resistant glasses.
Levels Offered by Hygard Bullet Resistant Sheets
Covestro provides several levels of protection with their bullet-resistant sheet polycarbonate product.
- Hygard BR and MS offer ballistics resistance in varying grades. The lowest level of Hygard BR can resist multiple gunshots from typical handguns and even some high-powered ones. Hygard MS can offer an extremely-high level of ballistics protection from high-powered machine guns or rifles.
- Hygard EX was engineered by Covestro to “meet & exceed GSA, DoD and DoS anti-terrorism force protection standards,” in their own words. This material not only resists ballistic impacts, but it also protects against high-pressure loads or shock waves.
- Hygard Sentinel represents the ultimate solution for building shell protection. The multi-ply laminate sheet material is supplemented further by the addition of a steel mounting structure that can resist blast impacts or natural disasters.
All of these products are manufactured and tested to an incredibly-high standard in order to offer the best possible solution for security needs.
Modern Plastics can provide sheets of any grade, or we can help you custom fabricate products to fit the needs of your unique application.
Visit our Hygard sheet material page to learn more.
