DuPont is claiming that its new Kevlar EXO is “the most significant aramid fibre innovation in over 50 years and an entirely new technology platform developed to serve endless applications where performance and protection is required”.

Life protection, the company adds, will be the first of many Kevlar EXO use cases to offer an previously-unachievable combination of lightness, flexibility and protection from an aramid fibre.

Kevlar has long been the advanced material behind high-performing body armour and EXO is said to offer military and law enforcement officers previously unavailable levels of ballistic protection without compromising on mobility and comfort. Its pliability is also said to contour to curves and body lines, providing a more body-inclusive solution while still offering maximum protection.

“We’ve spent over a decade developing, refining and perfecting Kevlar EXO, and the result is an industry-altering platform that has catapulted our life protection capabilities to a whole new level,” said Steven LaGanke, global business leader at DuPont Life Protection. “Developed and tested by leading materials experts at DuPont, it offers never-before-seen ballistic and thermal performance while also providing a flexible and lightweight solution that empowers users to operate at peak performance. Whether for military members, law enforcement officers, private security or emergency responders, pound for pound, Kevlar EXO users can better manage energy output even during the most demanding physical tasks.”

The key benefits claimed are:

- The highest ballistics performance among all aramid fibres without compromising on weight, enabling the best-in-class, lightest weight ballistics soft armour solutions available on the market today.

- Peak flexibility, offering increased comfort and mobility, contouring to curves and body lines with less restriction for maximum defence, when paired with exceptional carrier design.

- Inherently flame and temperature-resistant – melt and ignite-proof up to 500°C.

- The same level of protection after five years as it provides on day one.

The new aramid is being made in the USA at DuPont’s new manufacturing facility in Spruance, Virginia

www.dupont.com