When bullets hit C-Bond Systems (OTC:CBNT) Inc’s Patriot Glass Solutions’ ballistic-resistant window film, they don’t get through. The glass may crack but it doesn’t shatter.
The company has developed a patented nanotechnology and multilayer window film system certified by independent third-party labs to stop rounds from a handgun and another certified to stop rounds from a semi-automatic rifle.
Based in Texas with offices in Houston and San Antonio, C-Bond has already installed its C-Bond Secure, which deters forced entry, or C-Bond BRS (Bullet-Resistant System) in approximately 100 schools in the state. After 19 children and two adults were killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas in May, CEO Scott Silverman spoke out.
“I believe we can help,” Silverman said in an interview with Proactive’s Christine Corrado. “Yes, there is business attached to that, but I really believe we can help from a moral perspective as well in that our technology actually stops bullets.”
Silverman has school-age kids himself, as does C-Bond president Allison Tomek. Her daughter attends Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where a gunman killed 17 people in 2018.
The technology works like this: a window is coated with C-Bond’s BRS solution, which uses nanotechnology to strengthen the underlying glass, and overlain with three sheets of 15-mil film (where one mil is 0.001 inches), with more C-Bond solution between each sheet of film.
Once installed, a bullet from a handgun fired from as little as 15 feet away doesn’t get through. Remarkably, there is no decline in visibility either.
For semi-automatic weapons protection, C-Bond triples the number of film layers to nine, with the C-Bond patented solution again filled between each one. The result, while slightly cloudier than unprotected glass, does the job from as little as 50 feet.
Silverman has led demonstrations of Patriot Glass products all over the country, most recently in San Antonio on June 22. People take notice of what C-Bond BRS is capable of, he said.
“Seeing the gun, hearing the gun [fire] ... and then walking up to the piece of glass after the shots happen, touching the back where the film is and seeing that it didn't penetrate — and seeing the bullet sitting on the floor — it's a strong statement,” Silverman said.
What’s more, because the sheets are layered on one side of the glass, the technology stops bullets from the outside in but not the inside out. That means, hypothetically, someone (such as a security guard on the inside) could shoot out through a C-Bond BRS window if necessary.
Also, since the three-layer solution is compatible with standard glass thickness (1/4- to 1/2-inch), C-Bond BRS can be added to existing windows with no retrofitting required. The nine-layer solution needs to be fitted to 3/4-inch glass, which may need to be installed.
It’s important to note that C-Bond BRS isn’t an end-all-be-all solution to the school shooting epidemic in the United States. Silverman and Tomek are the first to say as much. But, if a gunman fires into a classroom window — as the shooter did at Marjory Stoneman Douglas — it can help.
Additionally, even though the three-layer Patriot Glass solution isn’t certified to stop assault weapons, it still makes a significant difference compared to unreinforced glass. To that point, the company also offers a single-layer solution called C-Bond Secure that is designed to protect windows against break-ins and smash and grabs.
If someone hits a C-Bond Secure window with a bat, for example, it’s going to take a good minute or two of swinging to break through. That delay is an effective deterrent, Silverman said.
In terms of revenue, the Patriot Glass division is growing quickly. The company is seeing increasing demand for its ballistic-resistant window film due to the growing number of mass shootings.
Beyond the Building
C-Bond also has a patented technology designed to protect an entirely different kind of window: a car windshield. Windshields endure a great deal of impact from debris, and because the glass is bent, it’s more likely to crack if it gets hit.
That’s where C-Bond nanoShield technology comes in. The solution, sprayed on and squeegeed off, penetrates and strengthens the microscopic flaws inherent in every piece of glass. The result is invisible to the naked eye.
The savings on window repair and replacement are significant, Silverman said. To test it, the company applied nanoShield to 3,300 vehicles in a 13,000-car fleet belonging to a major car rental company at the Denver International Airport. The result was an 82% decrease in repair and replacement costs.
C-Bond is targeting rental cars and other vehicle fleets as potential customers, as well as auto dealerships.
However, the biggest potential customer base, which Silverman said C-Bond is looking to penetrate going forward, is insurance companies. Insurance companies eat 80% of windshield claim costs in the US, he said, which is a strong incentive for them to have it applied to vehicles they cover.
“We believe that the insurance companies will motivate you as the insured motorist to actually put nanoShield on your windshield, similar to what they do today with antilock brakes,” Silverman said.
This is especially important for windshields with electronic heads-up displays, which can make repairs more complicated and replacements more expensive. In fact, the average windshield replacement 10 years ago cost $400, whereas the average replacement now costs more than $1,800, Silverman added.
C-Bond Solutions trades on the OTC Markets in the US.
Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com
Follow him on Twitter @andrew_kessel