SAFTI FIRST Architectural Glass Products Bring Exciting Innovations for the Architectural Community

With many years of experience, over sixty in the architectural glazing industry, we have learned that innovation is a necessity to growth and success both for our clients and ourselves. The architectural community rewards innovation and appreciates evolving architectural advancements as this innovation allows them to introduce interesting, new, and creative projects, whether an application, performance, safety, aesthetics, or environmental innovation. The architectural community is a leader in creating many groundbreaking solutions by pushing glazing manufacturers to create new products and solutions to improve and enhance their creations. This includes their request to combine performance, energy efficiency, code requirements, design, and lower lifetime costs into our products. These requests and desired combinations have created a track record of more efficient, sustainable, and architecturally enhanced products for projects worldwide.

SAFTI FIRST has responded to these requests for innovation in our systems and our manufacturing capabilities to bring these glazing innovations to fruition. First, by being the first to manufacture and bring fire rated glass to the USA that acted as a transparent wall, with ratings available up to 3 hours. We have created world-class facilities in Merced, California, to produce these USA-made products. This has allowed us to meet the ever-rising demand for clear, advanced fire rated glazing products while providing competitive pricing and fast lead times.  Quality USA manufacturing also allows us to accommodate custom designs and a fast response to complex delivery schedules unmatched by foreign suppliers. The current supply chain disruptions have shown the advantage of having SAFTI FIRST, a fully integrated, USA manufacturing company as a supplier of these products.

This background in providing new innovations and in house manufacturing have allowed us, in turn, to advance and expand. SAFTI FIRST is excited to announce many new innovations and manufacturing capabilities. 

New Capabilities

The newest capability added is the installation of a state-of-the-art Pujol 100+, a two-million-dollar complete laminating line with one oven for standard lamination processes and one oven for bomb blast and detention products. This state-of-the-art automated laminating line is capable of manufacturing almost any variation of laminated glass products: Bullet-Resistant Glass, Blast, Hurricane, Forced Entry/Attack, Switchable and Dynamic Glass, Art Glass, Glass Floors, Glass Stairs, Glass Railings, Mirrored or One-Way See Through Glass, Decorative Glass with Organic Inserted-Fabric, Metals, Stones and Papers, Colored Glass, LED Glass, Bird Friendly Glass, Glass with Ceramic Frits, T.V. and Internet Mirrored Glass, Vandal Protection, Decorative, Energy Performance, and Sound Rated Glazing. Each of these options can be mixed or added together in most cases and all are available to incorporate resistive fire ratings up to 120 minutes or some for protective ratings up to 45 minutes. This provides architects with the maximum flexibility for their specific needs.

New Innovations

SAFTI FIRST innovations are many and varied this year. They include SAFTI FIRST’s development, testing, and listing of a new innovative curtain wall system. This patent-pending Panelized “SAFTI Wall System”(S.W.S.), recently successfully tested and listed by U.L., is designed for use in non-rated or rated applications, with fire resistive ratings up to 2 hours and more scheduled testing to meet hurricane, blast and tornado requirements.

“SAFTI Wall System” or “S.W.S.” is the first truly panelized, versatile structurally glazed curtain wall system developed with a dual purpose. Patent-pending “S.W.S. SAFTI Architectural” is a unique system that will provide ease of installation in a curtain wall, and a fire rated version, patent-pending “S.W.S. SAFTI Architectural F.R.” Both can be used alone or married together easily for seamless unbroken sight lines. A breakthrough product that provides architects, owners, and façade consultants with the greatest flexibility of design. All engineered with lower cost in mind through ease of installation and the largest fire-rated glazed areas available rated by U.L. “S.W.S. SAFTI Architectural F.R.” provides one hundred thirty inch high and eighty-inch wide (130” x 80”) panels and even larger panel sizes for the non-rated areas, “S.W.S SAFTI Architectural. ”These large, conventional “S.W.S. SAFTI Architectural” or “S.W.S. SAFTI Architectural F.R.” fire resistive ASTM E-119 wall panels, can be mixed together up to their maximum engineered size. All this with a pleasing, slim two-inch (2”) profile sight line. SAFTI FIRST anticipates this capability will be extremely popular with architects in allowing unmatched design flexibility with energy performance, decorative or security options, ballistic, blast, hurricane, etc. Both of these S.W.S. SAFTI Wall products will provide versatility, cost savings, and ease of installation with the additional option of fire ratings up to 2 hours.  

Before 2-hour fire test:

 
During 2-hour fire test:

After 2-hour fire test and the full hose stream:

More Innovation

SAFTI FIRST’s innovation has also been directed at residential high fire risk areas with the development of “SAFTI Fence,” a Glass Fence Rated Up to 1 Hour. “SAFTI Fence” is bringing innovation to an area of growing concern by taming wildfires that can devastate these high fire risk areas. A product first tested and brought to market for use in Southern California in areas where views interfaced with fire zones along coastal areas. This allowed clear unobstructed views while also providing security from fire and giving property protection. “SAFTI Fence” has recently received a 1-hour rating by U.L. and Intertek. This “SAFTI Fence” by SAFTI FIRST is a clear, high impact safety glazing. A fence that can surround an entire residential development or single homes in urban wildland areas providing security, fire protection, and the added benefit of sound or animal control. SAFTI FIRST’s “SAFTI Fence” is proudly USA-made and tested to a 400-poundimpact or higher in a laminated version. It can be provided in personalized laminated options, decorative, colored, satin etched, bird or animal friendly patterns. Fire insurance premiums may be reduced in some areas due to the additional fire and security protection provided. 

New Innovation on an Old Product

SAFTI FIRST is in final testing of “SAFTI Block” and will be offering this desired product to the architectural community. Providing it with additional attractive capabilities by offering clear or patterned makeups in a 10-inch, 12-inch, 14-inch, or 20-inch size. “SAFTI Block” will be fire resistive with fire resistant ratings up to 3 hours. The reinforced clear “SAFTI Block” can provide many other added characteristics such as bomb blast, detention, and vandal protection. “SAFTI Block” will provide other options for the highest security and fire resistive ratings available for any glazing product. Current glass block products are unusable in many fire-rated areas because of the limited fire protective rating they carry, only up to 45 minutes. These new glass block configurations will carry fire resistive ratings meeting ASTM E-119 up to 3 hours, the highest fire resistive rating. This specialty “SAFTI Block” product can be used in all fire barriers, fire walls, stairwells, shaft enclosures, exit ramps, jails, floors, government buildings, and many other applications. They can incorporate additional security features such as ballistic, bomb-blast, hurricane, forced entry, alarm systems, shading, sound, EMF, and more.  

Wishing All a Very Happy New Year

We are very proud to have developed and now to be able to provide these new and exciting products for the architectural community. To provide these innovative glazings all made here in the USA.  SAFTI FIRST thanks and looks forward to working with the architectural community and wishes everyone a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!