• Safety Film can transform normal glass into Safety Glass
• Security Film is a physical barrier making entry into premises slower and harder
• Blast Film greatly reduces the danger from flying glass
• Clear and Tinted versions

Safety and Security Film is very similar to Control Film, except that it is usually clear, much thicker, and it has a thick adhesive.

The strength, and therefore the use, of the film is determined predominantly by the thickness.

Safety & Security films are used for these purposes;

• Security: Making it harder and slower to gain entry through glass windows and doors.
• Safety: Changing the breaking characteristics of normal glass so that is can meet the Australian Standards to be classed as safety glass. This means ordinary glass can become safety glass without being replaced.
• Blast mitigation: The bulk of injuries caused by an explosion is the result of flying glass. Blast tests and real life experience have shown that Safety Film can hold the broken glass together and, with the addition of a retention system, can even hold the glass in the frame, greatly minimising injuries and saving lives.
• Violent weather protection: From freak hail storms to cyclones that hurl debris, safety film offers valuable protection.

How it works

Safety & Security film is applied to the inside of smooth glass. Watch the Video Clips below to see how Safety and Security Film performs.

• It's really tough
• Bricks and Bats
• Armorcoat Safety Film in Action
• Bomb Blast Test
• Dallas TV

Products

At About Windows, we use four brands of Safety & Security Film;

• Solar Gard® - Armorcoat®
• 3M^TM - Scotchshield
• Hanita Pacific - Safety Zone
• Johnson Window Films® - Trident

Solar Gard® Armorcoat® clear film comes in 50, 100, 175 & 200 micron. These films have excellent optical clarity. Thicker films are available for extreme blast and security applications.

3M™ Clear Safety and Security Film is multi-layered to resist tearing and is available in three grades; Ultra S150 (51 micron), Ultra S400 (102 micron) and Ultra S600 (152 micron). During 2015 3M plans to discontinue Ultra S150 and add a 200 micron product to be called S800. These products are ideal for security applications.
The reason behind the 3M naming is that the American safety tests had 150 ft/lb and 400 ft/lb strength test, hence the Ultra S150 and S400 film names. Subsequent product development has added thicker films dubbed S600 and S800.

Selection - A Rough Guide

• Armorcoat 50 - UV reduction
• Armorcoat 100 - Safety film for child care and some glass types
• Armorcoat 175 - Safety film for all applications (subject to limits in accordance with Australian Standards), residential security, and violent weather
• Armorcoat 200 - Safety film for all applications (subject to limits in accordance with Australian Standards), residential & commercial security, blast mitigation and extreme weather

Glass Retention Systems

A retention system is a way to anchor broken glass to the window frame. This is particularly important in blast situations as the above tests show. It can also benefit Security installations, especially for smaller panes which have less edge bite area to hold on with, and less glass area to absorb the force.

The best way to understand the Glass Retention Systems is to view our Related Gallery: Edge Attachment .

• For a film to be used as a safety product it must meet stringent testing standards. A site visit is needed to determine glass thickness and determine which product is most suitable
• Security is significantly enhanced with Ultraflex or Impact Protection Profile.
• To reduce the danger of flying glass from bomb blast we mostly use Armorcoat 200 PLUS Ultraflex

Combination Safety, Security and Sun Control Films

See Related Products on this page.

Metric - Imperial Units

• 50 micron = 2 mil
• 100 micron = 4 mil
• 200 micron = 8mil
• A micron is 1 millionth of a metre or 1x10^-6
• 1000 mil equals 1 inch
• Sun Control Films vary in thickness but are typically 80 micron and have less aggressive adhesives.