3M ULTRA S800 Safety & Security Window Films

At a Glance

School Safety / Active Shooter

PET-Based Clear Invisible Protection

Incredible Tear Resistance

Warrantied by 3M

3M Company holds the original patent to safety and security window films (also known as fragment retention films) dating back to the late 1960s. Originally developed at the request of the UK government in response to IRA terrorist bombings, 3M has innovated the product significantly over the past 50 years.

Tear resistance is a significant component to a security film’s performance. It was generally accepted that a film’s tear resistance increased as its thickness increased. As other window film manufacturers sought to produce films more than 10 mils (.010”) thick, 3M understood that such thicker films present three fundamental problems:

Increased optical distortion

Installation difficulties

Loss of film elasticity

Increased Optical Distortion

Thick window films cause optical distortion from both sides of the window in a fashion similar to that of a thick pair of eyeglass lenses. This reduces an occupant’s ability to see outside with visual clarity and alters a building’s cosmetic appearance.

Installation Difficulties

A safety film that is not installed properly will not perform to the manufacturer’s or client’s expectations. Thicker security films are more difficult to install than thinner films. They are more difficult to handle, cut to size, and squeegee (the process to remove the requisite installation slip solution) which require the installer to have great physical endurance throughout the day. That can be a challenge as the installer moves from one window to the next over the course of an eight-hour workday.

Loss of Film Elasticity

A bomb blast has two phases – a positive phase, where the glass is pushed away from the source charge, and a negative phase, where the glass is pulled back toward the source charge. These two phases subject glass to significant stress. A film with little elasticity provides little cushion during such shock. Consequently, thicker films can provide less protection throughout the course of a bomb blast.

3M’s Response

Without sacrificing blast protection (according to third party testing) or building aesthetics, 3M developed a thinner security film comprised of an industry unique and patented system of interwoven composite polyester layers.

A multi-layered manufacturing technique creates product elasticity to allow the film to “give” with the glass during some sort of trauma (bomb blast, blunt force, windstorm). This “give” provides the glass with a cushion during the related stress and shock.

The main benefit afforded by cross-weaving polyester fibers is that tear resistance is maximized. Regardless of how a window breaks, the applied film will be torn against its grain. Consequently, an 8-mil thick 3M ULTRA film is more difficult to tear than an 8-mil thick standard film. This strong, thin film increases occupant safety without creating the associated optical distortion of thicker films.

3M ULTRA S800 is an 8-mil thick clear safety and security film that was introduced in 2014. Since then, it has been used throughout the world for those looking to protect people, property, and continuity of operations from the dangers associated with broken glass. Independent testing has shown that when installed in conjunction with 3M’s Impact Protection Adhesive, 3M ULTRA S800 reduces the harms associated with broken glass due to bomb blasts, blunt force traumas, active shooters, seismic events, windstorms, and spontaneous glass breakage.

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