Covestro plastic sheet part of a total solution that helps protect against damage from machinery failure

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The failure of rotating machinery, pumps, pressurized vessels or other similar equipment can be devastating, resulting in high-velocity projectiles or a potential explosive blast. High-impact-resistant shielding can offer protection to personnel and other valuable assets.

With this in mind, a large energy company installed a hydrostatic pressure testing protection suite at its drilling site on the north slope of Alaska. The transparent structure was designed by Oregon-based TotalShield^® Inc., a leader in machine shielding and personnel safety containment systems. To meet the rigorous shielding requirements of this application, TotalShield^® turned to Hygard^® BR1250 polycarbonate sheet from Covestro LLC to form the structure's transparent walls.

"From machine shielding installations to security glazing for schools, government buildings and correctional facilities, our durable, lightweight and transparent Hygard^® BR polycarbonate sheet is tough enough to stand up to very demanding environments and applications," said Bill Pelke, field market development, polycarbonate sheet products, Covestro LLC.

Hygard^® BR1250 laminated polycarbonate sheet is designed for the high demands of containment and forced entry applications. In addition to polycarbonate's inherent performance benefits of impact resistance, strength and clarity, Hygard^® BR polycarbonate sheet offers higher abrasion resistance and surface hardness. Hygard^® BR polycarbonate sheet features a proprietary hardcoat technology that offers protection against chemical and UV damage.

The TotalShield^® solution is an engineered shielding system custom-built for the situation and threat level. The company uses a modular framing system so that machine guarding can be configured into any shape or size. The shielding system is designed for easy access to machines that require a worker interface and easy shield panel removal for machine maintenance. Petroleum exploration, product development and power plants are among the industrial settings that rely on fragment mitigation systems to help protect employees and structures.

"We tested a variety of materials for the panels, and the Hygard^® polycarbonate laminate was the leader in terms of quality and clarity," said TotalShield^® President and CEO Keith Snyder. "The durability of the abrasion-resistance coatings and Covestro's excellent reputation were other important drivers in our decision making." 

TotalShield utilizes different thicknesses of Makrolon^® and Hygard^® in its designs, from 0.375 in. to 1.25 in.  

About Covestro LLC:
Covestro LLC is one of the leading producers of high-performance polymers in North America and is part of the global Covestro business. Covestro manufactures high-tech polymer materials and develops innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and sports and leisure industries. The Covestro group has 30 production sites around the globe and employed approximately 14,200 people at the end of 2014. Covestro is a Bayer Group company.

About TotalShield^® Inc.:
TotalShield^® technology was founded in 2002 by Keith W. Snyder, a Senior Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, at that time. Snyder invented a unique modular framing technology, for high impact shielding, which he patented at Sandia Labs. Being a national leader in the design of blast resistant structures, with over 25 years of experience in design and analysis, Snyder decided to utilize his expertise and network of industry leaders to bring safe, reliable, engineered and tested personnel and asset protection to the public. Hence TotalShield^® was born. The TotalShield^® team is composed of leading experts in the structural design of impact- and blast-resistant structures, and personnel shielding. Along with other industry experts, TotalShield^® has forged a crucial relationship with Southwest Research Institute, the leading authority in blast, ballistic and impact testing in the United States.

Find more information about Covestro LLC Makrolon^® polycarbonate sheet products, call 1-800-628-5084 or visit www.covestro.com or www.sheffieldplastics.com.

For more information about high-impact force protection from TotalShield^® Inc., call 541-367-1187, email [email protected] or visit www.totalshield.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro's and Bayer's public reports which are available on the Covestro website at www.covestro.com as well as on Bayer AG's website at www.bayer.com. Covestro assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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