Solutia Automotive Provides Glass Interlayer Technology for Lincoln Town Car Ballistic Protection Series

It even protects Pentagon personnel. And now it helps offer individuals protection in a world of heightened risk.

Saflex®, a protective glass interlayer produced by Solutia Automotive, is part of the new Lincoln Town Car Ballistic Protection Series (BPS). The polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer is used in the window glass of the new vehicle, which provides NIJ Level III high-powered rifle protection and offers the highest standard level of ballistic protection commercially available from any automotive manufacturer in North America.

Laminated glass is a glass-PVB-glass sandwich, and its typical automotive use in windshields and laminated side windows provides a variety of benefits to consumers. More dramatic benefits can be achieved by varying formulations, thickness, or the number of layers. Bullet resistant glass* is one of the varieties of glass systems that use Solutia's PVB interlayer.

Bullet resistant glass is created when multiple glass-PVB-glass layers are combined to form an extra-thick pane of glass. In the case of the Lincoln Town Car BPS, the window requires the PVB interlayer to be of exceptional clarity. Additionally, the layer closest to the passenger must be extremely adhesive to prevent spalling (discharging of glass dust).

The PVB supplied for the Lincoln BPS is one of a number of special application and/or formulations manufactured by Solutia. Others include hurricane-resistant glass and bomb-resistant glass for architectural use, and its Vanceva(TM) brand of advanced interlayers, which include acoustic protection and numerous aesthetic options.

Solutia uses world-class skills in applied chemistry to create value-added solutions for customers, whose products improve the lives of consumers every day. Solutia is a world leader in performance films, producing Saflex® and Vanceva(TM) brand polyvinyl butyral interlayers for laminated glass in automotive, architectural and residential applications. Solutia is also a leader in process development and scale-up services for pharmaceutical fine chemicals; specialties such as water treatment chemicals, heat transfer fluids and aviation hydraulic fluid and an integrated family of nylon products including high-performance polymers and fibers.