To pass the Level 4 test, bullet proof glass must stop a shot from a .30-06 hunting rifle.

“Customers come to us wanting a product that meets their security and aesthetic needs,” said Jim Richards, president, Total Security Solutions.  ”Unlike our competitors, Total Security Solutions can deliver Level 4 protection in a custom product, such as a transaction window that includes a voice port.  This new product line is a result of recent investments in our manufacturing facility.”

Total Security Solutions’ Level 4 bulletproof glass is a 4-ply combination of glass and polycarbonate that can be manufactured 1-1/2” thick.  The framing system for the glass has a total extrusion of 3” x 5-1/2”.

Bulletproof glass is tested by firing a bullet from a set distance in a set pattern. Levels of protection are based on the glass’ ability to stop a bullet traveling at a specific speed. 

In the test environment, the sample is rigidly mounted 15 feet from the rifle muzzle with a 1/8” thick “witness plate” of corrugated cardboard positioned 18 inches behind it.  No marking, or impressions are allowed on the witness plate to achieve a pass rating.   

Level 4 bulletproof glass provides ideal security for military bases, port of entry checkpoints, government facilities, embassies, and police stations.

An article on MyModernMet.com featured one artist’s unique tribute to Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder who recently passed away. Michael Miller is known for his multi-layer sculptures that when viewed from a certain angle look more like a painting.

His most recent piece depicts the portrait of Steve Jobs featured on Apple.com. “It’s an expanded graphic portrait of Steve Jobs rendered with bulletproof glass that I found in a dumpster,” said Miller. The layers of bulletproof glass are suspended one piece in front of another and when viewed head on, it’s a striking representation of the late Jobs.

Photos Courtesy of MyModernMet.com

“It’s rare that this stuff gets shot,” explains Total Security Solutions vice president Jim Richards, “although it does happen from time to time. In 12 or 13 years, I’ve only replaced 1 or 2 pieces of bullet proof glass that have been shot. It truly is a deterrent; armed robbers typically target banks or gas stations because they don’t have some kind of protection. They don’t want to spend time messing around with someone who’s installed a bullet proof barrier.”

Windex and Bullet Proof Crazing

Bullet proof glass is a major investment, and will look great for years with proper maintenance. Jim and his staff are emphatic: You do not want to ever clean bullet proof glass with Windex.

When bullet proof polycarbonate or acrylic are cut, drilled, or flame-polish, microscopic fractures form in the plastic.  These are not visible to the naked eye, and are structurally inconsequential.  “But Windex attacks the edges of those fractures,” Jim explains, “and it will look like there’s cracks going into the glass.  It’s what’s called crazing, and it makes the material look terrible,” even though it has no impact on the material’s bullet resistance.

Surface scratches can be buffed out of polycarbonate or acrylic, but crazing creates a haze that penetrates the surface; according to Jim, “when it’s done, it’s done.”

Proper Care and Cleaning of Bullet Proof Glass

British Columbia, Canada, recently passed a law making bulletproof glass in automobiles illegal.  The move targets gangs and organized crime in the province.

The law also covers secret compartments and armored vehicle plating.

In a quote included in an article on the news site Metro, Solicitor General Rich Coleman explained, “The only reason … to add (these things) is to evade police or other criminals, or to hide guns, drugs or money.  This law establishes significant penalties and will work to discourage gang activity and organized crime.”

The penalty for breaking this new law?  Fines of up to $10,000 and up to six months in jail.

The bomb-proof vehicle, valued at $235,000, is outfitted with bulletproof glass.  According to published reports, the car also includes GPS tracking and armor plating.

What’s interesting is that the bullet resistant glass used in vehicles like the Prince’s Bentley might be one way, meaning it will stop a bullet from coming into the car, but not stop a bullet from being shot from within the vehicle.

It’s not unusual for dignitaries to ride in vehicles protected by bulletproof glass.  In fact, The Presidential State Car of the United States is outfitted with bulletproof glass.

Bullet Resistant Acrylic from Total Security Solutions

Acrylic: Bulletproof acrylic is the most commonly used material for transaction windows and ballistic resistant barrier systems.  The acrylic material is available in UL ballistic protection levels one and two. The acrylic also has the option to have an abrasion resistant (AR) coating or be standard acrylic. The abrasion resistant coating comes standard on our level two acrylic and provides protection against cleaning solvents and weather, as well as an increased resistance to the effects of ultra violet light.

Polycarbonate: Bulletproof polycarbonate materials are normally composed of an acrylic core with two polycarbonate caps each side of the secure surface. Polycarbonate materials are available in UL ballistic protection levels one thru three and all three come standard with an abrasion resistant coating. All of the polycarbonate materials that Total Security Solutions offers also have a forced entry rating.

Glass Clad Polycarbonate: Glass Clad Polycarbonate (GCP) materials are composed of inter layers of glass and polyurethane with exterior caps of glass and abrasion resistant polycarbonate.  GCP comes in UL ballistic protection levels one thru five and level eight as well. All of the GCP materials that Total Security Solutions offers carry a forced entry level in addition to their ballistic rating.

Now when someone is talking about bulletproof glass you can ask them, “what type of ‘glass’ are you talking about”…if it’s even glass at all! For more information on ballistic materials such as bulletproof glass please visit our website or call us at 866-930-7807

Arched Voice Port Bullet Resistant Transaction Window

Starting from the ground up we begin with the counter top that transaction windows often have. The counter top is the foundation for the entire window and they come in two standard forms. The most common counter top material is plastic laminate, which can be provided in a number of different colors. The other is stainless steel. Stainless steel counter tops are often used in exterior applications and upon customer request. After the counter top is constructed then the currency tray must be either cut in or placed on top of the counter to allow money to pass between customers and employees. Most of our currency trays are recessed in to the counter top. Next comes the framing for the transaction window. Attached to the counter top is either a U channel bracket or 2 piece channel to secure the counter and window together along with pieces of 2 piece channel along the sides and top to hold the bullet proof glass in place.

Before the bullet proof glass is put in place the determination of what type of voice transmission needs to be decided. If you have chosen a baffle system, arched voice port or voice around then this is already decided; however other voice port systems are available such as the hole in backer, MK1 and MK2. Now that the counter top, frames and voice transmission system are chosen we move on the most important piece, the Bullet Proof Glass. Most transaction . . . → Read More: The Anatomy of a Bullet Proof Transaction Window]]>  Bullet Proof Transaction Windows are the most common item of protection when it comes to bullet resistant products. At a glance they seem very simple; it’s just a piece of bullet resistant acrylic and some frames right? In theory that would be a good analogy but in actuality there are a lot of components that go in to engineering and ultimately building a transaction window. Depending on if you’re looking at a Baffle System, an Arched Voice Port or a Hole in Backer System the amount of work that goes in to each transaction window to make it secure is anything but simple.

Arched Voice Port Bullet Resistant Transaction Window

Starting from the ground up we begin with the counter top that transaction windows often have. The counter top is the foundation for the entire window and they come in two standard forms. The most common counter top material is plastic laminate, which can be provided in a number of different colors. The other is stainless steel. Stainless steel counter tops are often used in exterior applications and upon customer request. After the counter top is constructed then the currency tray must be either cut in or placed on top of the counter to allow money to pass between customers and employees. Most of our currency trays are recessed in to the counter top. Next comes the framing for the transaction window. Attached to the counter top is either a U channel bracket or 2 piece channel to secure the counter and window together along with pieces of 2 piece channel along the sides and top to hold the bullet proof glass in place.

Before the bullet proof glass is put in place the determination of what type of voice transmission needs to be decided. If you have chosen a baffle system, arched voice port or voice around then this is already decided; however other voice port systems are available such as the hole in backer, MK1 and MK2. Now that the counter top, frames and voice transmission system are chosen we move on the most important piece, the Bullet Proof Glass. Most transaction windows come with a level one bullet resistant 1 ¼” acrylic, however there are many other options for levels of protection. Bullet proof Glass Clad polycarbonate is available in transaction windows from bullet resistant levels 1-3 as well as polycarbonate materials. Level three LP1250 contains two 1/8^th layers of polycarbonate sandwiched around an inch of bullet resistant acrylic. LP1250 offers great transparency along with a high level of protection.

There are many other transaction windows that are available such as bullet proof horizontal sliders and exterior transaction windows that can be installed in your place of business. For more information on transaction windows visit our products section of our website.

Bullet Resistant Barriers

The would be robber was flustered and didn’t know what to do, so burglar took the honorable route (if that’s possible for a bank robber) and turned around then walked out the door. The lawbreaker was found a few hours later after being identified from a missing hubcap on the getaway vehicle. The crook didn’t put up any fight (just like in the bank) and admitted to the crimes immediately. 

This just goes to show that bullet resistant systems can prevent crooks and robbers from turning violent in an environment that has a high volume of customers. Systems such as the secure sound bullet resistant system are available from Total Security Solutions to help employees and customers feel safer in a high risk environment.   

For more information on systems like the secure sound system follow this link for all of your needs.

Read more installation stories from Total Security Solutions.

Like the PE Package Passer (See last week’s blog) the Rotary Package Processor is a great option for convenience stores. However, unlike the PE, the Rotary Package Processor is the perfect option for fast food operations, restaurants and gas stations. This type of Package Processor allows many different (and larger) sized items to be passed back and forth between customers and employees. Like the PE, the Rotary Package Processor is only accessible from one side at a time, meaning that there is not breech possibility   

The Rotary Package Processor has many features that are available as well, things such as additional locking mechanisms, integral cash tray protective barriers and three different levels of protection. The Rotary Package Passer comes in one standard size (Box OD 18″ W x 20″ H x 14″ D) as well as custom sizes per customer request and is available in three levels of protection.

For more information on Rotary Package Passers including available sizes and levels of protection click here.

Read “Inmate who tried to escape pleads guilty” on abclocal.go.com.

So what does it take to be truly bulletproof? In researching this topic, we found several people asking just that question. Six inches of lead sheathing or one foot of solid concrete could be called “bulletproof,” but the bullet-resistant products available through Total Security Solutions provide excellent stopping power against most common handguns, shotguns or rifles and can be employed in ways that are almost invisible to the undiscerning eye.

So now that we know the correct term is “bullet-resistant,” let’s analyze the phrase “bullet-resistant glass.”

Bullet-resistant glass isn’t really glass, well not completely. There are three types of “bullet-resistant glass,” but only one is actually made with regular glass. Glass-Clad Polycarbonate is made from a piece of polycarbonate that is sandwiched between two pieces of regular glass. The other forms of “bullet-resistant glass” are actually made from a solid sheet of acrylic or laminated polycarbonate.

Image taken from www.technical-discovery.com.

There are two types of bullet resistant glass – solid acrylic and laminated polycarbonate. Solid acrylic is just as its name suggests – a solid sheet of acrylic either 1-1/4” or 1-3/8” thick depending on the level of protection required. Laminated polycarbonate is made by layering polycarbonate, a heavy-duty clear plastic, between two sheets of glass and laminating it all together. It can be ¾”, 1” or 1-1/4” thick depending on the level of protection. While a bullet will pierce the exterior glass layer of laminated polycarbonate, the inner layers absorb the bullet’s energy stopping it from penetrating through the entire piece of glass.

The newest form of bullet resistant glass is one-way bulletproof glass, commonly used in armored vehicles. One-way bulletproof glass is composed of two layers. The outside layer – on the threat side – is made of a brittle glass and the inside layer is a flexible polycarbonate. A bullet that strikes the brittle external layer first causes the glass to break inward toward the polycarbonate layer. The glass breaking absorbs some of the bullet’s energy by spreading the force over a larger area and the flexible polycarbonate stops the bullet.

Bullets shot from the inside of an armored car are able to penetrate the bullet resistant glass because they strike the polycarbonate layer first with more focused energy. The brittle glass layer then breaks outward allowing the bullet to pass through with minor energy loss.

In addition, electronic locks are used to ensure maximum security. Photo electric eyes, similar to the operation of a garage door, are installed to ensure safe operation. If an object intersects the laser beam of the photo electric eyes, the slider will stop operation immediately.

The Electric Vertical Slider is available in UL Level 1-3 protection and is ideal for convenience stores, fast food outlets, governmental offices, and other high profile/high traffic facilities.

Read “City/County: 1-Stop Domestic Violence Center” by Matt Davis, http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com,

To do so, we’re offering an incentive for the month of October. If you follow Total Security Solutions on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook during the month of October, Total Security Solutions will send you a custom nameplate made from bullet resistant glass!

To receive your name plate, simply follow TSS on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. Send us an email to info@demandtss.com with what you would like your nameplate to read as well as an address where to ship it. Or, if you find us on Twitter, you can send us a direct message with the above information.

Image taken from http://www.bornrich.org/entry/solitaire-deluxe-watch-winder-another-feather-on-bubenzorweg-s-cap/.

Read “Alleged Robber Trapped in Bank Doors,” myfoxphilly.com

Image taken from myfoxphilly.com.

If you have additional questions on what products UL tests, what they test for, or what UL “standards” mean, read an interview with UL’s Director of Consumer Safety.

Read “Speaking with UL consumer safety director John Drengenberg” by Claude Solnik, http://libn.com.

All sizes come in UL Level 1-3 protection and are available uncoated or abrasion resistant coated. The edges of the bullet resistant acrylic are flame-polished providing a water clear edge ensuring maximum clarity and light transmission.

Evonik CYRO has been manufacturing ACRYLITE® and advancing the plastics industry for the past 75 years. ACRYLITE is UV-stable, won’t yellow over time, has one of the highest light transmission rates of any plastic, and is known for its superior impact strength. ACRYLITE also offers ease of fabrication as it is easily “sawed, routed, drilled, cemented, thermoformed, painted or silkscreened.”