Armox® steel from SSAB halves the weight of armored doors manufactured by Tecno Safety
Armox® steel from SSAB halves the weight of armored doors manufactured by Tecno Safety
Due to the increase in cases of violence against property, there is a growing need to implement personalized security doors for each segment
Tecno Safety, a company recently launched by the Tecno Group – 15 years in the market, leader in the industrial and commercial doors segment – is based on the security e protected, involving a wide range of private (retail), corporate (large companies) markets and with plans to enter the Government market, with applications of SSAB steels.
The escalation of violence in large urban centers in recent decades has been a cause for concern for Governments, civil bodies and the population itself. The task of achieving a peaceful scenario is urgent, but some solutions can be a palliative to return to a sense of security. Although automotive armor is growing dramatically, with the number of armored vehicles breaking a record, rising from 20.024 to 25.916 units between 2021 and 2022, according to Abrablin (Brazilian Armor Association), the architectural armor market is present and competitive. , with several industries developing technologies and services that also benefit civil society.
Tecno Safety is one of them. With engineer Felipe Masetti as technical director, the armored doors manufactured by the company using steel from SSAB – a Swedish multinational world leader in the manufacture of high-strength steels – serve a public that purchases armored products out of necessity. The sheets are ballistic, light and anti-burglary, that is, they have the necessary rigidity against forced intrusion.
The weight of national steel
One of the main problems Felipe Masetti faced in his area was the weight of armored doors. With NBR 3 level 15000 ballistics, protection against rifles, it is a door that the market still manufactures with national steel and weighs 250 kilos (a traditional sheet measuring 2,10 X 80 wide). “This conventional door, made from national steel, is not only a hassle to handle – you have to make an effort to move it. But in addition, it generates many incidents, as it handles 250 kilos in movement and when it is positioned on the stop, it becomes a guillotine. If you pick up a finger, the finger won't turn purple. Or the finger breaks or even cuts off. It’s a danger.”
The solution found
The first thought to resolve the issue of the door's weight was to use aramid in its manufacture, a lighter product. However, ballistics is a complement to the door's purchase differential: the main thing is that it is anti-burglary. “If you purchase an armored door, the protection will not only be against shots, but it must be rigid so that they cannot enter. And in this, aramid is zero”, says Felipe Masetti. The solution found was based on research and discovering SSAB's high-strength steels. “I was surprised that the company was present in Brazil. From the moment Armox® steel began to be used, we were able to drastically reduce the weight of an armored door: it now weighs 120 to 130 kilos, half the original weight. It is equivalent to the weight of a solid wood door in a high-end house. Everyone is already used to it”, adds Masetti.
High performance of Armox® sheet
But the main motivation for choosing Armox® steel in the construction of the doors was not just weight reduction, but performance as a whole. “I was part of the review of the Brazilian standard, NBR15000, in 2020, and one of the items I managed to approve was adding PE, Special Protection to armor level 2 buildings, using SSAB steel. With burst fire, the steel remains intact. So, it’s not just weight, but the performance as a whole of this material”, assesses Masetti.
Technical argument for sales success
“I rarely lose a sale when I have a technical argument. The door using Armox® steel has a much higher performance than what the market practices. The final product is impressive. Customers say “Felipe, what door is that?”, because it looks like wood, has flatness, finish and doesn’t have those steel defects on the steel surface”, says Masetti. “This quality also ends up having an impact on the conditions in which I deliver my product: the SSAB plate gives a perception of quality”.
Strengths of Armox® steel applied to doors
From a raw material point of view, Felipe comments on the unexpected benefits, such as the quality of the SSAB steel part. “The Armox® sheet does not have the surface tension like a national sheet. We strictly follow the recommendations for cutting, welding, handling and drilling, and what for competitors is a burden, as they may not have the machinery to process SSAB steel, for us it is a quality”, highlights the engineer. “Working with steel with the right tools and appropriate technologies makes it a great ally, because it is a flat product. It is a material that requires treatment with the best technology has to offer.”
Benefits of working with SSAB material and the difference between your product and the competition
According to Felipe, the Armox® is a different steel than conventional ones, as its resistance to break-in is much greater than a door made with another material. SSAB sheet metal will resist drilling. “That’s great when we talk about resistance.” Furthermore, other benefits are the superior finish, due to the sheet being flatter and having a lower residual stress, which consequently increases manufacturing productivity and the lightness of the steel.
Development of more products with other SSAB steels
Felipe comments that Tecno Safety's door line is quite extensive, using SSAB's range of materials, such as Ramor® and complementary steels, such as Strenx®, SR line, in addition to ballistic lines. There is also a list of products in development for the use of SSAB steel door structures. “When you stop using conventional steels for the door structure, there is a huge improvement in performance. In cases of break-in, the elastic memory of SSAB steel provides an excellent condition in relation to deformation and return to the initial position, instead of conventional steel, which when deformed, loses its entire structure”.
Target audience for the application of Armox® steel at Tecno Safety
As technical director of Tecno Safety, Felipe's work is focused on the architectural shielding segment, creating innovative products, which are increasingly growing in this segment. “Generally, our target audience suffers from planned crime. When we use high-hardness steel, resistant to perforation, we also have effective results against these programmed attacks”, says the technical director of Tecno Safety. “They won’t be able to drill the lock with a drill, for example, because they will come across the SSAB steel in front.”
Tecno Safety door line
The Tecno Safety door line features the conventional door – level 3, anti-burglary, made with Strenx® structural steel; the 3 A armored door, for short weapons, made with 2,5mm Strenx® and Ramor® material; the armored door for a heavy weapon, against rifles, made with 5mm SSAB steel. This door, compared to conventional steel, would be 12mm, leading to a reduction of more than half the weight. And a novelty that hits the market is the door shield, made with SSAB steel, which goes on top of the existing door, like an overlay, providing a mechanical structure for breaking in, as well as ballistic resistance, without the need for the headaches of a great work, with prompt delivery, and a fast service.
Shield holder: an innovation
“If it weren't for SSAB's steel, I wouldn't be able to make this shield, due to its lightness and reduced weight”, says Masetti. This innovation was carried out by market research, and is patented. The door has strength to hold the shield and there is a reinforcing mechanism to support the weight. It is an innovative product that solves security problems”, he adds. “The delivery of an armored door can take up to 30 days, as it is necessary to make the frames for the jambs, cut, buy the sheet metal, in addition to the work. As for the shield, there is no need to modify the door, and it can be done in the morning with delivery in the afternoon of the same day”, guarantees Felipe.
With proof of operation
Today, most competitive doors are made with common steel and because of this, they do not have any certificate of the ballistic effectiveness of using that door. “All SSAB sheets have a ballistic certificate, that is, the material was tested, approved and approved by the Brazilian army for use in that ballistic application. It is a material produced for security. Furthermore, it is the only company that operates 100% legally in relation to products controlled by the Brazilian army in the area of steel sheets”, comments Felipe.
Innovation in the market
The armored doors produced by Tecno Safety with Armox® steel from SSAB open up a range of innovations, bringing automation, with facial technology (biometrics), adding even more value to the final product, with safety and resistance. Furthermore, in a thinner door, there is more space to place things inside it, such as locks with electromechanical drives, which is linked to modern opening systems, in addition to being able to deliver other features reliably, such as sealing, acoustics and aesthetics.
Examples with SSAB steel
Felipe also comments on the plates popularly called “for bullets” on shooting ranges, capable of stopping projectiles. As thick as they were, they did not have the characteristics of SSAB steel, which in addition to great resistance to perforation due to Brinell hardness, also has high resistance to abrasion. “When we talk about shooting, we are talking about abrasion and in these steels, even thick ones, where the ammunition hits, it starts to create dents, pegs, forming a shell in this plate and sometimes the short weapon projectile (pistol), which is the ammunition used by police forces in close-range confrontations, due to the agility and weight of the weapon, it picks up these shells and returns to the shooter very frequently, causing a ricochet and, consequently, damage when the bullet bounces. And for this reason, they started using SSAB steel, which will last for many years of use, without the need for maintenance or replacement.”
Demand for security drew a lot of attention
Graduated in civil engineering in 1987, Felipe Masetti, technical director of Tecno Safety, was a partner in a company in the field of construction and technological innovation, providing product development services to large companies and consultants. From 2003 onwards, the demand for protected (area security) grew due to the increase in violence and the feeling of insecurity. With the segment growing and after studies and research, Felipe created the company Safety Wall in 2008, coinciding with the beginning of the partnership with SSAB. “I have a long history with SSAB, for the protected. And right away, knowing about the presence of the steel company in Brazil, it coincides with the almost 20 years that I have been working in the industry and I saw a great possibility of using its products”.
Long partnership in a growing market
“And from then on, it was a long partnership, with the most varied experiences, from corporate segments, government, to the “Very VIPS” – the large rich families”, comments Felipe. With his vast experience, he was the manufacturer of security structures for consulates and embassies in the national territory and has a letter of recommendation from Washington, as he was responsible for shielding the Visa Issuance Centers of the American consulate, not only those in São Paulo, but also from Rio de Janeiro and other states. “It’s a much larger segment and is much more present than we imagine”, he assesses. The applications attract attention within SSAB itself, such as, for example, shielding consulates and a fortification network for farms, made by a professional who has 20 years' experience in this market.
“Industry of fear”
Felipe Masetti highlights that he has carried out and continues to carry out many protection projects and actions, since “unfortunately, it is the market of fear”. “Everyone is scared, getting worse and worse. Insecurity is reality, it is out of control. It is a segment that grows a lot annually and has an ever-increasing demand, a capillarity that we cannot even imagine. When we talk about the corporate market, the technical requirements are much greater, and then, there is no one for anyone: it’s all SSAB”.
SSAB support and long partnership
“SSAB's technical support is non-existent, because the product has no recall”, jokes the engineer. “I have customers who had doors done 12, 13 years ago and I have never had a complaint. This proximity to technological development, this way that SSAB treats its customers, a presence within the company, it is not a company that is just there to sell an input. She is supporting the development of the product, being part of it, step by step. It's a very intense partnership and this is very common in technical products. It is the vision of the importance of innovation”, declares Felipe Masetti.
Tecno Safety’s growth target
“We want to be a reference with an innovative quality product, with high performance in the security”. Felipe Masetti strongly believes in the private market, the great driver of sales. “It’s not just a theft, it’s a piece of a person’s peace of mind. It’s a market opportunity, but it’s a sad reality,” he concludes.
