Innovation inspires and delivers new fire rated glass and framing products

Innovation is the engine of business success. Whether it’s the development of a brand-new product, a more efficient process or a novel way of serving customers, innovation helps distinguish a company from its competitors while raising the bar for everyone.  Enterprises that emphasize innovation have been shown to outperform stagnant, insular organizations. They’re also better equipped to withstand economic challenges.

Innovation has always been the driving force for SAFTI FIRST ever since we introduced the first clear, fire resistive glazing to the US market in the late 1970s, which ushered in several other firsts in the fire rated glass and framing industry.  

To keep the innovative spirit alive, we strive to create an environment where collaboration and creative, out-of-the-box thinking not only exists, but is encouraged.  We’ve also invested time and resources in building the necessary infrastructure to develop and test our ideas in order to bring new, USA-made fire rated glass and framing products to the marketplace.  These new products are a culmination of a lot time and resources spent on research, development and testing, and a direct response to the needs and demands of architects and glazing contractors.

Our most recent innovations include several new products we introduced at the GlassBuild America show in Las Vegas and the CSI Construct Show in Baltimore.  They include: 

New addition to the SuperLite family of fire rated glazing: SuperLite III-XL Fire Resistive Multi-laminate. SuperLite III-XL multilaminate was recently successfully tested by Underwriters Laboratory (UL) for both 60 and 120 minutes in accordance with the requirements of ASTM E-119 and UL 263 with hose stream.  SuperLite III-XL multilaminate outperformed currently listed fire resistive glazing products by achieving the largest fixed clear view sizes in the industry: 5,978 and 8,922 square inches for 120 and 60 minutes respectively.  Testing also included butt-glazed SuperLite III-XL multilaminate for both 60 and 120 minutes achieving a clear view size of 6,975 square inches with a maximum width of 60”.  SuperLite III-XL also meets the requirements for CPSC Cat. II impact safety.  

New addition to the GPX family of fire resistive framing: GPX SNAPCAP. Our new patent pending fire resistive system offers the ease of installation and the uniformly narrow sightlines of today’s most popular storefront systems. The system employs slip-fit joinery and features extruded aluminum covers that mechanically snap to a tube steel core that provides structure and fire resistive endurance, resulting in a dramatic reduction of framing components and quick assembly.  The GPX SNAPCAP framing was tested by UL to meet ASTM E-119 and UL 263 requirements for 60 minutes with hose stream.  GPX SNAPCAP is available in multiple architectural finishes.    

New custom fire resistive glazing make-ups: Curved SuperLite II-XL. As a testament to SuperLite II-XL’s unmatched flexibility, SAFTI FIRST has added curved options to a long list of specialty make-ups including high-security in the form of bullet, blast, and hurricane resistance; insulated energy performance; and decorative art glass.  SuperLite II-XL is listed with both UL and Intertek/WHI, meeting ASTM E-119 and UL 263 for up to 2 hours with hose stream.  

We’ll be posting product details on our website and making more announcements in the coming weeks.  We’re not slowing down our R&D, either.  We have a lot of testing scheduled and we’re gearing up to launch more new products such as a top-loaded 120 minute fire resistive flooring system with 5-foot spacing in the very near future.  Stay tuned!