SAFTI FIRST Receives US Patent for Superlite I-W Fire Rated CAT. II Safety Wired Glass

SAFTI FIRST, a manufacturer of fire rated glazing and framing products, has announced that it has acquired a United States Patent for the SuperLite I-W. This patent covers any filming of wired glass, either applied at the manufacturing plant or in the field, to create a fire and impact safety rated product.

According to SAFTI FIRST, SuperLite I-W is the first and only safety wired glass product that meets the highest impact safety standard (CPSC 16CFR 1201 Cat. I and II) and passes NFPA 252 and 257, making it safe for use in fire doors and other assemblies in high traffic areas where it may be accidentally impacted by children and adults. This cost effective product achieves a high safety impact rating by using a tough, fire rated film applied to the glass. Traditional wired glass does not meet CPSC safety glazing standards.

"When we first developed SuperLite I-W, we met all kinds of opposition from the wired glass industry, saying that developing a fire rated, impact-safe wired glass product would be extremely difficult, and cause the product to lose market share," says William O'Keeffe, president and chief executive office of SAFTI FIRST. "Having SuperLite I-W recognized by the US Patent & Trademark Office is an important advancement in protecting school children from injuries caused by impact with unsafe traditional wired glass, while also protecting school boards, contract glaziers and architects from liabilities stemming from such injuries."

SAFTI FIRST has spent over 25 years improving safety in schools by the removal of unsafe glass in doors and sidelites in schools settings. William O'Keeffe earned the title "Wired Warrior" in the fire rated glazing industry for his heavy involvement in a successful code change in 2003 that eliminated wired glass use in these locations and applied CPSC Cat. II impact requirements to safety glazing.

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