Coming soon!
Archive for October, 2015
Sneak Peek – Gen 7 CAT by North American Rescue
Friday, October 30th, 2015Triple Aught Design – FAST Pack EDC
Friday, October 30th, 2015
This is the latest generation of Triple Aught Design’s FAST Pack EDC. Although the overall appearance is similar to the previous version, the pack has been re-engineered from the ground up, based on customer feedback and testing. The FAST platform is designed around rugged construction and modular adaptability, and the FAST Pack EDC perfectly embodies this concept. The FAST Pack is made of durable 1000D and 500D Invista Cordura Fabric, and features PALS webbing and internal anchor points throughout to allow for optimal end-user configuration. The FAST Pack EDC also features a weather-resistant secondary compartment which is optimal for critical electronics and documents, which is accessible through a secure roll-top closure.
We’re going to run it through its paces over the next few weeks and give you our impressions.
Material
Dimensions
Volume: 2000.00 cu in (32.77 liters)
12.00″ (30.48 cm) W x 21.00″ (53.34 cm) H x 8.00″ (21.59 cm) D
Weight: 72.00 oz (2.04 kg)
store.tripleaughtdesign.com/FAST-Pack-EDC
FirstSpear Friday Focus – Halloween Special Promotion
Friday, October 30th, 2015
FirstSpear is offering a special promotion in honor of the Halloween holiday. All orders over $150 ship with a FREE 18oz FirstSpear Travel Mug. Offer ends 11/2/15.
Extreme Outfitters – Halloween Sale
Friday, October 30th, 2015
SilencerCo Summit Collection – Noveske Rifleworks
Thursday, October 29th, 2015
SilencerCo is continuing with their Summit Collection firearms, with their first ever AR-15 offering. Made in collaboration with Noveske Rifleworks, this rifle is chambered for .300 BLK with an 8″ barrel, and a color-matched, Summit-edition Omega suppressor. Only 30 units have been produced, in two color options: 25 Grey and 5 Green.
Features
Magpul – Now Shipping PMAG 30 AK/AKM GEN M3
Thursday, October 29th, 2015
Magpul is now shipping the PMAG 30 AK/AKM GEN M3 polymer magazine for Kalashnikov-pattern rifles chambered for 7.62x39mm. These new magazines feature steel-reinforced locking lugs, a removable floorplate, constant curve geometry, and a high-reliability/low-friction follower. The PMAG 30 AK/AKM GEN M3 counts as three US compliance parts for 922r. Made in U.S.A.
Features
www.magpul.com/products/pmag-30-ak-akm-gen-m3
Gentex Features New HGU-56/P With Ops-Core Rails And Other Advances In Rotary Wing Helmet Systems At SAFE Symposium
Thursday, October 29th, 2015Carbondale, PA, October 29, 2015. Gentex Corporation, a global leader in personal protection and situational awareness solutions for defense forces will demonstrate their industry leading lines of Gentex, ALPHA, and Ops-Core helmet systems for air applications at the SAFE Symposium, November 2 – 4, Orlando, Florida. Featured among them will be their latest innovations, the Gentex HGU-56/P Rotary Wing Helmet System with Ops-Core Accessory Rail Connectors (ARC), and the ALPHA 900 Search and Rescue (SAR) Helmet System, part of the ALPHA 900 Cross-Platform Helmet System line.
Gentex has integrated the Ops-Core ARCs into the designs for the standard and improved HGU-56/P Helmet Systems. This pairing allows aircrew users to easily add mission-enhancing components such as cameras and illuminators, without compromising the helmet system’s industry leading protection.
Combining the open architecture of the Ops-Core ARCs with the Gentex HGU-56/P Helmet System creates a platform for access to a broadest of capability upgrades to support both current and future operations. The ALPHA 900 SAR Helmet System is water resistant and optimized for air-to-sea search and rescue operations, and is compatible with all major aircraft ICS systems and portable radios.
“The Gentex HGU-56/P with Ops-Core ARCs and the ALPHA 900 SAR Helmet System exemplify Gentex Corporation’s continued effort to expand our product line, allowing us to offer a full range of innovative solutions to the customer” said Robert McCay, vice president, Aircrew Systems, Gentex Corporation. “Gentex is dedicated to providing the most comprehensive portfolio of aircrew headborne systems and services to meet the needs of global aircrew personnel.”
Adding to the depth of Gentex Corporation’s comprehensive product line featured at SAFE, is their newly acquired line of hearing and communications products, which will be on display in booth #302. The recent acquisition of Aegisound, an established provider of products that significantly improve hearing protection, safety and communications in high noise environments, expands Gentex’s hearing and communications product offering to global defense and industrial personnel, as well as the F-35 program portfolio. In addition to hearing and communication products, Gentex will supply eye protection, the helmet system platform, and respiratory protection system to the elite aircrew entrusted to command the F-35 Lightning II.
Subject matter experts from the Gentex team have also been invited to give a presentation on the evolution of the aircrew industry’s needs over the last six decades, and how these needs drive the development of aircrew helmet systems and capability upgrades. The presentation which is titled, Past,
Present and Future of Aircrew Helmets, will be held on Tuesday, November 3rd from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM in Bonaire 1-2-3. Visit the Gentex Corporation booth #307 to see the tactical optics line; dazzle laser defense eyewear, a line of laser protective flight-helmet mounted visors and spectacles that help pilots combat emerging laser threats, as well as our line of respiratory and CBRN protection products. Two Helmet System briefings focusing on the design capabilities of helmets, oxygen masks, visors, microphones and laser eye protection will also be held during the symposium.
SSD Visits The PRO Tapes Manufacturing Facility
Thursday, October 29th, 2015
PRO Tapes, located in North Brunswick Township, New Jersey, is a manufacturer of pressure sensitive tapes and other specialty materials. They provide products services to a variety of industries, including entertainment, medical, and defense, as well as functioning as an OEM for many recognized brands. The main intent of our visit was to observe the manufacture of the MultiCam Cloth Repair Patch Kit, although we were also given a tour of their entire facility, which consists of 150,000 sq ft of manufacturing and storage/shipping capability.
The first stop in our tour was to check out this Rotary Die Printing Press, which is used to manufacture the MultiCam Cloth Repair Patch Kits. The adhesive-treated MultiCam fabric is pressed by the machine onto the backing paper. This combination is then fed through the die, which cuts the specific shapes for the patches, which are retained on the backing paper. The waste material feeds through the top and is collected on a separate spool. Using this machine, PRO Tapes is capable of producing around 5000 units a day.
The main factory floor featured a wide variety of state-of-the-art equipment, capable of custom slitting, laminating, die-cutting, and printing. To give you somewhat of an idea of their manufacturing capability, they can make slit widths from 6mm to 300mm (.24 in to 11.8 in); core sizes for tape from 1″, 1.5″, and 3″, up to 14″; sheeting up to 300mm x 914mm; and much more. Their machinery is incredibly precise, and some machines are capable of handling the entire process from manufacture to packing of completed products.
This equipment represents an investment on the part of PRO Tapes exceeding $10 million, with their capabilities growing annually.
The PRO Tapes facility also houses an impressive storage warehouse. Rack upon rack fills the warehouse area, along with material components which will eventually be used to manufacture more product. A fair number of products are made to order by PRO Tapes, although they do also house packaged products to meet the demand of their retail and OEM partners.
As an aside, we were told that when PRO Tapes receives MultiCam fabric material, it comes in rolls of this size, showing the volume of material they’ll work with when manufacturing cloth tape and repair patches.
We also had a chance to observe the outbound orders section of the warehouse. The entire section is filled to capacity with product multiple times a day, which is shipped with the same regularity.
In addition to their extensive product offerings for various industries, PRO Tapes produces many products intended for used in the Military/Tactical industry. PRO Tapes is the largest manufacturer source of “100MPH Tape” in the USA, and also offers a range of PRO Cloth Concealment Tape, which is the same as MultiCam Cloth Concealment tape but is offered in 14 base colors and 5 fluorescent colors. PRO Tapes also manufactures PRO non-adhesive Self Fusing Silicone tape, PRO 15 Heavy Duty Grit Tape, PRO 120 High Performance Duct Tape, and PRO Plus Electrical Tape. We also briefly discussed an upcoming product, PRO X-PLO Tape, a double coated demolition tape which is designed specifically for use by Breachers. We’ll have more info on this product as it becomes available.
Chris Falletta – ‘National Director of Sales – Military, Tactical and Outdoor Division’ for PRO Tapes had this to say about their involvement in the Defense and Tactical industries:
Although PRO Tapes has worked on Government and Aerospace contracts directly in the past, in addition to working with many present vendors who sell into the Military, Tactical, and Outdoor markets, over the past two years we have made a concentrated effort to expand our footprint into these markets on a much larger basis. This effort has manifested into our arrangement with Kryptek Outdoor Group, and our recent exclusive agreement with MultiCam brand, to manufacture product with their proprietary patterns, which has brought us to the forefront of this market.
PRO Tapes manufacturing capability is impressive, as is the sheer variety of products they are capable of making. It’s always a treat to see exactly how everyday products are made, especially when it involves mainstays in the Tactical industry, such as 100MPH Tape and Cloth Camouflage Tape. Look forward to future developments from PRO Tapes to be featured here on SSD.
If you’re in the tactical or defense industry, and are interested in utilizing PRO Tapes’ OEM capabilities for your products, you may contact Bob Bullion – Global Sales Manager of Tactical & Outdoor Products Division at bbullion@protapes.com.
