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World first for BMW: security sidelites of SentryGlas®Plus

New solution can be used in standard door and sealing systems.

New BMW 7 offers intrusion-resistant glazing made with DuPont™ SentryGlas® Plus

BMW has proved its global leadership in enhancing vehicle safety and security by becoming the first automotive manufacturer worldwide to offer intrusion-resistant glazing with DuPont™ SentryGlas® Plus ionoplast interlayer as an option on the front and back side windows of the car. The enhanced security glazing is available as an option on the new BMW 7 series and has been available from March 2002.

BMW is the first company in the world to incorporate Pilkington's new Intrusion Resistant Glazing based on SentryGlas® Plus ionoplast interlayer. Group Product Manager at Pilkington's headquarters, Dr. Philip Corkhill, said: "This is the first time in almost 50 years that an automotive manufacturer has used an interlayer material other than polyvinyl butyral (PVB) in automotive glazing, and represents a major step forward!"

Corkhill continued: "We have been working for four and a half years with BMW to develop a new and improved automotive glazing solution for side windows with high intrusion resistance." Polycarbonate-based intrusion resistant side windows had previously been available on the BMW 5 and BMW 7 Series.

Pilkington's global key account manager for the BMW Group, Dr. Ulrich Friemuth, said: "We already knew SentryGlas® Plus from hurricane-proof and security architectural glass applications. Working with DuPont, we transferred this technology for use in automotive glazing."

Glazing Development Manager at BMW, Gerald Buck, said: "BMW prefers the ionoplast interlayer security solution because the total side window glass construction thickness is now reduced to 5.6 mm (1.8 mm outer tempered glass + 2 mm SGP + 1.8 mm inner tempered glass) rather than 9 mm with the polycarbonate solution. Therefore the new side window glazing construction can be used in standard door and sealing systems and BMW can offer a superior security glazing solution to consumers at a reduced price.

"We tested a wide variety of glass types and interlayers and we believe that DuPont SentryGlas® Plus offers the best balance of the correct thickness and intrusion resistance. The ionoplast solution achieves 75 percent of the security resistance of the much thicker sidelites used until now and this fully meets BMW's specification for intrusion resistance.

"The SentryGlas® Plus solution is also significantly more lightweight and, because it is a glass on glass solution, the enhanced security benefits it offers are totally 'invisible' to both car occupants and potential thieves."

Pilkington's Corkhill summed up: "Extensive testing at BMW showed that our Intrusion Resistant Glazing with DuPont SentryGlas® Plus could typically resist over two minutes of attack with a break-in implement. This is substantially better than side windows laminated with PVB, which can resist for about 20 seconds - or side windows that are not laminated at all, which smash instantly upon attack.

"Pilkington has already received significant interest from other car manufacturers in the new automotive security glazing solution incorporating SentryGlas® Plus, and we expect further commercialisations in the near-term future."