In 2004, Prototech Laser was approached by a sub-prime military contractor to laser cut fabricated armor components to help protect our soldiers fighting in the war on terror; specifically, in Iraq and Afghanistan. During this conflict, land mines were buried underground in an effort combat U.S. military forces. These nefarious devices were not only immobilizing our ground vehicles, but also disabling and killing many of our soldiers. As a result, our military leaders had to act fast in an effort to protect our troops.
The solution: fully fabricated and laser cut up-armored protective kits for ground vehicles.
The armor was 12560 and 46100 grade and .250” – .375” in thickness. In essence, the plan was to virtually surround strategic areas of the vehicle with armor, most notably the under carriage and window openings. The idea was to create a V-shaped hull in order to deflect the shrapnel outward during an explosion, thus preventing the munitions from dispersing up through the bottom of the vehicle in harm’s way of our troops. The efficacy worked surprisingly well.
The race was on to provide high-volume armor kits to protect our soldiers and Prototech Laser was the perfect company to help with this very important initiative. Not only did they possess full-service metal fabricating capabilities, they also, maintained one of the largest stables of laser cutting equipment in the United States.
Equipped with 4 and 6 kilowatt Trumpf laser cutting systems, Prototech Laser was working around the clock producing over one million pounds of metal fabricated armor components per month: primarily up-armor kitted material. They were also tasked to produce other armor components which required CNC machining, metal forming, MIG and TIG welding, and assembly.
Prototech, which has been around for 30 years operating in many different industries such as automotive, aerospace, agricultural, transportation, general industry, automation and defense. Within the defense segment Prototech Laser has worked on a variety of eclectic military applications including ground utility vehicles, tanks, weapons and air defense systems, as well as military helicopters and personal protective gear.
Today, Prototech, a metal fabricator and laser cutting company, continues to produce armored parts for ground vehicles around the world. 15-20 thousand people still die each year from land mines and many of our US troops continue to be in harm’s way. It’s comforting to know that there are companies such as Prototech Laser that can come together quickly to help with such important tasks.
Ed Genord, part owner and President, puts it this way, “Prototech Laser produces thousands of parts each month, and in many cases we don’t exactly know the purpose, but in this scenario we can rally together as a company and know that we are making a difference in this world and in many cases saving lives”.
If you have any questions regarding Prototech Laser or the important work they are doing for our country, visit their website at ptlaser.com, call at (586)598-6900 or email them at sales@ptlaser.com