Armored: our origin
It starts with glass: solid, transparent, UV resistant, impermeable, mouldable, durable & hard. To name but a few of the unique properties of glass, & to date there is no substitute.
But glass is heavy and fragile, and this results in many glass installs taking longer, costing more, or just not going ahead at all.
The Corners of flat glass are the most fragile points:
- Impact on the corner of laminate glass can result in a vent/crack, or shell.
- Toughened glass is about 4 times more resilient than float glass, it is also safer when it breaks because there are no shards. But Toughened glass can “blow” with only moderate contact to a corner.
The Industry need
for a Corner Protector
I was involved on a 12.8mm laminated glass partitioning job in Vauxhall. The project was on the 5th floor & it required 30 panes of glass. The lift was too small but in theory, the glass would just fit up the staircase. Despite using experienced “bumpers” many corners were damaged resulting in a monetary loss, not to mention considerable anxiety for all involved.
Later an unsavoury accident happened while distributing glass on a tight concrete staircase. A toughened panel “blew” resulting in a work colleague requiring stitches. It took 2 hours to clean up the glass and then a return visit to replace the broken panel.
It was clear, on some projects we desperately needed a corner protector that:
- Could withstand a reasonable impact force to the Corner
- Grip firmly on the glass
- Could be fitted at the point of manufacture or at any time up to fitting
- Would complement existing transport methods
- Could be within easy reach of fitters
Our products
Designed by Glaziers & the team at Absolute Product Design
Some research revealed there was nothing functional on the market. Some designs were put to paper & I contacted Adam Floyd at Absolute Product Design.
Soon functioning prototypes were made of nylon & tested, one particular design came up trumps. Patent applications confirmed the novelty of the design, a mould was made and our 1st production run of 12mm Armored Corner Protectors was given the go-ahead.
Our corner protectors
A storage solution
Our Corner Protectors exceeded our expectations, now we needed a quick-access storage solution for our vans. With 35 years of metal fabrication experience, the recently departed Dave Cockburn assessed our requirements & produced a functioning prototype of our rugged Armored Stand in just 48 hours.
View our corner stands