US Armor has put out the following statement regarding the use of Zylon in Ballistic Vests. The statements and summaries contained in the release are those of US Armor and not those of Police1.com.
As you are all aware, there has been considerable and constant pressure from marketplace competition for U.S. Armor to produce a line of Zylon-based vests, which we have not produced as of yet. There are several very good reasons why we have not done so and it is the purpose of these documents to clearly explain why that is, as well as to fully educate you on all aspects of the Zylon issue.
While we all welcome the development and introduction of newer, better materials into the ballistic industry, as a manufacturer we also have a supreme responsibility to thoroughly explore, investigate, test and re-test these new developments as they come along, so that we may separate truth from fiction and verifiable fact from marketing hype. We also understand that our responsibility in this area is multi-faceted, and extends to our end-user wearers, our agency customers, our employees and the industry as a whole, for if there could be a failure problem affecting one manufacturer, it could easily affect all manufacturers.
We were as excited as every other manufacturer over the initial claims about the purportedly unique ballistic properties achieved by Zylon-based products at such low weights and thicknesses that would allow us to make a vest that was more comfortable, flexible and lightweight than we had ever seen before. However, in over 31 years in the armor business, we have seen several “new”, “miracle” or “revolutionary” ballistic materials come and go, unable to live up to their promotional claims in actual usage. Therefore, we have always taken the position of “wait and see” on these new materials until adequate testing, research and field trials have proven their value. It is a position that has served us well, and one that we feel has helped to build our customers’’ confidence in both our products and our company.
Over the last 1? years, we have been aware of serious concerns regarding Zylon losing its ballistic strength in a relatively short amount of time when exposed to a combination of heat and humidity. One of the more disturbing aspects of these issues is that almost all of the information and research data that is in support of strength degradation in Zylon has come directly from Toyobo Corporation in Japan, who is the manufacturer of Zylon fibers. Additional data supporting the information regarding Zylon fiber performance problems along with overt cautions and conditional requirements of woven Zylon product purchasing has been obtained from two of the larger ballistic weaving companies, Hexel-Schwebel and Barrday.
US Armor presented a booklet at a LAPD Pre-Bid conference, which contained several aging reports from Toyobo showing the degradation of their product when exposed to 80% humidity and heat. The LAPD had initially put out a Bid Specification allowing a MAXIMUM weight of .56 pounds per square foot on a Level II Concealable Vest, which had limited their choice exclusively to a Zylon-based vest. For a copy of this booklet, please contact US Armor at by emailing Georg Olsen, General Manager, at georg@usarmor.com.
By definition, the heat applied was 40 degrees Celsius, which converts over to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, less than 5 ? degrees higher than normal body temperature of 98.6 degrees. It does not strike us as difficult to achieve that temperature and humidity level in normal Law Enforcement operations. You will also find a letter from Hexel-Schwebel that requires us to agree to certain conditions and waive any liability before they will weave any Zylon-based ballistic material for us; conditions and requirements that are never required for any other woven ballistic materials that we purchase from them.
In addition to the above research conducted by Toyobo, U.S. Armor Corporation has commissioned an independent laboratory to conduct accelerated age testing on Zylon fibers. We are midway through the testing cycle, and will provide you with those results as soon as they are available.
It is for the reasons outlined above that we have decided that it would be irresponsible for us to produce any Zylon-based armor products at this time. We will continue to monitor this situation closely, and as soon as we can be scientifically assured of the long-term safety of Zylon, or for that matter, any other new ballistic material, I can assure you that we will bring a superior product utilizing that new material to market. We will also continue to keep you informed of industry developments such as this whenever they occur.
Please refer any additional inquiries regarding this report to my attention, and thank you for your continued interest in U.S. Armor’'s superior selection of personal ballistic protection products, consistently delivering Performance, Quality, Comfort and Value in an environment of integrity.
Georg Olsen
General Manager US Armor
georg@usarmor.com
11843 E. Smith Ave.
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
