Our advanced materials help protect civilian and military personnel around the world. From personal and vehicle armour to security scanners and critical components for sea, air and ground defence, their unique characteristics help to counter the increasing threats in the 21st century



Examples of recent applications include:
Marine fire protection
Fire protection is a key consideration in the design of naval and coastal ships. It requires lightweight but heavy-duty products which can withstand much higher temperatures than are specified for commercial systems. Our FireMaster?systems provide efficient fire insulation in this demanding sector, and are certified to meet most national and international standards.

Security scanners
The unique properties of our metallised alumina ceramics have enabled X-ray tubes for luggage and cargo scanners to be made significantly smaller while achieving higher resolution. We also supply Diamonex?diamond-like carbon coatings for fingerprint swipe sensors which significantly extend scanner life ?a key benefit as mobile scanners become more widely used by police and security personnel.

Vehicle armour
By combining our world leadership in composite vehicle protection systems with our ceramics technology we are driving the development of new, lighter and more resilient protection systems for vehicles and personal use. This technology will be used in discreet armoured cars transporting VIPs at the 2012 London Olympics.

Sonar
Piezoceramics are widely used in sonar equipment. We manufacture lightweight pre-stressed piezoceramic tubes which provide high acoustic output and increased reliability for the most demanding military detection systems. Our latest developments combine piezoceramics with composites to match transducer impedance more closely to that of water, resulting in higher efficiency, improved output levels and increased sensitivity.