Hypure Ceramics
The future is now, and Hypure Ceramics have changed armor forever. Lightweight body armor plates are the new norm, and RMA is proud to be the first American manufacturer to bring lightweight armor technology to an affordable price point.
So what has changed?
In one sense, nothing at all. In another, everything. What makes these Hypure ceramics plates different isn’t just that they’re lighter than some traditional plates like the original 1155. It’s that nobody has been able to match these lightweight features with an affordable price point.
Hyper-purity alumina ceramic strike faces aren’t anything new. However, they have traditionally been much more expensive than lower purity ceramics due to their high failure rate during production. That is, a kiln firing 24 strike faces may see 2-5 plates come out successfully, while all the others break. Today, it’s possible to fire 24 and have a success rate of 22/24.
That means the economics of scaling production on Hypure ceramics is now affordable.
Traditionally, alumina oxide ceramics have required around 2-5% adhesive mixture to create a high rate of firing success. With new Hypure ceramics, it’s 0.3%.
Hypure Ceramics Chemistry
So what do Hypure ceramics do differently than older lower-purity ceramics everyone else is using?
Hypure Ceramics are significantly harder thanks to their higher 99.7% content purity. That additional hardness means we need about 20% less ceramic thickness to achieve the same ballistic results. That slimmer profile means thinner and lighter plates without paying high prices for boron and silicon carbide.
Some other manufacturers are also planning to use this same ceramic from the same manufacturer to replace silicon carbide to pad their profit margins without passing on any savings to users. We’ve never been about that. Hypure Ceramics are an opportunity to raise all ships and make lightweight armor affordable for front-line law enforcement and prepared Americans across the country.
Products
To begin, we’re announcing the launch of our new 1165 Generation 2 plate. Like our Generation 1 1165, it uses a strong American-made Dyneema® UHMWPE backer that’s hydraulically-pressed right here in our Centerville, Iowa factory by American workers. Combined with an ultra purity Hypure Ceramic strike face, The new 1165 Generation 2 dramatically slashes weight down to 5.6 lbs for a 10X12 Shooter’s Cut and 6.2 lbs for a medium SAPI.
Our 1155 Generation 2 cuts weight down to only 6.9 lbs for a 10X12 Shooter’s Cut and 7.8 lbs for a medium SAPI.
No matter which you choose, you’re saving huge money and weight compared to the competition.