Royal DSM, the Netherlands, won the Soldier Technology Award’s Best Light-Weight Protective Product for the Soldier category for their molecular weight polyethylene fiber, Dyneema. It was chosen for its unmatched ballistic performance in body armor combined with its light weight and flexibility for significantly improved personal comfort and mobility. The award was presented to Richard Gunters, key account manager EMEA, at a ceremony in London in June 12.
A jury panel of experts determined that Dyneema best met the criteria for outstanding lightweight protection. The material was developed for the defense sector to increase the mobility and protection of soldiers in a wide range of combat scenarios. Since 2005 NP Aerospace has delivered 40,000 sets of inserts with Dyneema backing material to the UK Ministry of Defence for the Osprey body armor system.
Dyneema is up to 15 × stronger than quality steel and up to 40% stronger than aramid fibers, both on weight for weight basis. Dyneema fiber floats on water and is extremely durable and resistant to moisture, UV light, and chemicals.
DSM Dyneema presented on Dyneema fiber at the Soldier Technology Conference 2013 in London. Gunters discussed the benefits of using patented unidirectional sheets of Dyneema fiber for soft ballistic vests and hard ballistic helmets, shields, and inserts. With its high strength-to-weight ratio, Dyneema can reduce the mass and weight of body armor for greater maneuverability and comfort, while delivering proven protection against ballistic threats. Other important properties of the fiber include durability, chemical and ultraviolet resistance, and insensitivity to moisture.
“We are honored to be recognized by the Soldier Technology Awards, and take great pride in the many contributions DSM Dyneema has made in protecting the lives of service people around the world,” said Shitij Chabba, Global Segment Director – Life Protection. “DSM Dyneema’s radical innovation and micro innovation portfolio is helping our customers succeed and is backed by our high level of reliability, hands-on application development, technical support, and local resources, including world-class technology centers. Our breakthrough technology is becoming the material of choice among our growing customer base in an expanding range of high-performance life protection applications.”
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