How Bulletproof Vests are Made

Bulletproof vests are used world-wide in order to protect the wearer of the vest from a bullet. A shot from a gun can be deadly to anyone and therefore, people searched for protection. They found the answer when they discovered Bulletproof vests. But how can a small vest worn around the torso save someone’s life? In order to understand how it is possible, the process of how it’s made, comes into question. Considering the copious amount of lives they have saved, Bulletproof vests are made by sewing woven fibers into vests and layering them on top of each other, in order to deflect bullets.

“Bulletproof vests are modern light armor specifically designed to protect the wearer's vital organs from injury caused by firearm projectiles” (“How Bulletproof Vest is Made”). Many people prefer calling them “bullet-resistant vests” because the person who wears the vest is not completely safe from a bullet. There are many components that go into making a vest. A vest-shaped sheet of advanced plastic polymers, called a panel, is composed of many layers of Kevlar or Spectra Shield. While, the layers of woven Kevlar are sewn together using Kevlar thread, the non-woven Spectra Shield is coated and bonded with resins. An example of a possible resin is Kraton. It is then sealed between two sheets of Polyethylene film. The panel is placed inside of a fabric shell that is made from nylon or a blend of cotton and polyester. Some bulletproof vests add nylon padding for extra protection. Many bulletproof vests contain built-in pouches that are used to hold plates. These plates are made from either ceramic bonded to fiberglass or metal. In order to keep the vest on, the sides are connected with elastic webbing, cloth, metallic buckles, or velcro closure...

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...a sewer stitches the layers together. The cloth must be cut into proper pattern pieces after it is made. To form the finished vest, these pieces are sewn together (“How Bulletproof Vest Is Made”).

There was a long history of Bulletproof vests, that date back to the early 1900s.

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"How Bulletproof Vest Is Made." How Products Are Made. Advameg, Inc. Web. 06 May 2014.

Rahman, Anatol. "New Material Can Make Ultra-light And Better Bulletproof Armor." The Tech Journal RSS. 13 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 May 2014.