22
Mar
2016
By Calvin at 16:00 GMT, 9 years ago
If there’s one thing I like about running my own crime prevention advice website is the freedom it gives me to introduce British companies and products that don’t always get the publicity they deserve. That’s why I am delighted to announce that CWP OptiGlaze, manufacturers of hard-surface polycarbonate double glazed sealed units, have joined our Directory.
CWP Optiglaze, based in Congleton Cheshire, manufacture a wide range of polycarbonate units for use in a variety of security applications, so much so that I’ve had to completely re-write my guidance for the material in my advice page for security glazing.
Here’s some of that new information:
Hard-surface polycarbonate is 250 times stronger than a sheet of standard glass of the same thickness and so has become an important material in the fight against crime. It is often used in domestic and commercial buildings where there is a problem of vandalism or burglary and in more recent years ‘hard-surface’ polycarbonate has been used to produce double glazed sealed units for doors and windows; especially useful where there is a high likelihood of glass breakage. (Laminated glass is useful, of course, but the glass still breaks and the unit will need to be replaced)
Historically, there used to be some drawbacks with using standard polycarbonate as a glazing material, but these days the problems of yellowing and brittleness (due to exposure to UV radiation) and scratching have been overcome through the adding of UV stabilisers during manufacture and the application of special hard surface coatings. These advances now mean that polycarbonate glazing will resist both abrasion and chemical degradation and be resistant to the effects of long-term weathering. Such have been the improvements that ‘hard-surface’ polycarbonate glazing materials can even be cleaned with industrial glass cleaners and solvents, allowing graffiti to be easily removed.
Although polycarbonate has been used as a glazing material for many years, mainly due to its durability, high impact resistance and excellent light transmission qualities (better than some glass), you might be surprised to learn that it is used for all manner of crime prevention purposes:
- Anti-vandal glazing for both domestic and commercial buildings
- Laminated bullet-resistant glazing
- Anti-bandit barriers for cashiers in banks and post offices
- ‘Theft-resistant’ blister packaging for small, but valuable retail items
- Anti-vandal screens for CCTV cameras
- Drinking vessels in pubs and clubs to reduce the incidence of glass attacks
- Police visors and ‘riot’ shields
- Bus shelter glazing
Speaking with Clive Brown of CWP OptiGlaze during his application to join our Directory was quite an education and so I am especially pleased that he made the approach to join us!
So, welcome to CWP OptiGlaze and to find out even more please visit their website (below).
CWP OptiGlaze website: http://www.polycarbonateglazingsolutions.co.uk/
