Avient Corporation, a leading provider of specialized and sustainable material solutions and services to the shooting sports and personal protection industries, brought its latest advanced materials to the 2024 Industry Day at the Range at the Boulder Rifle & Pistol Club in Boulder City, Nevada. Industry Day is the official range event held in conjunction with the annual SHOT Show.

At Industry Day Avient showed its next-generation Dyneema unidirectional (UD) material. Based on third-generation fiber that is molecularly engineered at the polymer level to deliver a higher tenacity, the new UD material, Dyneema SB301, offers increased ballistic stopping power for protective armor applications, according to Avient.

“This groundbreaking innovation is poised to enhance the safety and mobility of law enforcement and military personnel. By its increased strength and lighter weight, the next-gen Dyneema material allows body armor manufacturers to design soft armor vests that can be 10% to 20% lighter than previous top-of-line protective solutions without sacrificing ballistic stopping power,” Avient says.

In addition, Avient showcased a broad range of advanced material solutions the company has developed for the shooting sports category:

* Composite Heat Release technology: A new, patent-pending composite material innovation that can help manufacturers reduce weight and add stiffness to firearm barrels. The proprietary carbon fiber and ceramic composite technology is developed to expedite heat transfer from the barrel bore to improve overall performance.

* ThermoBallistic thermoplastic composite panels: These compression molded panels made with e-glass and thermoplastic resin systems offer a cost-competitive alternative to ballistic-resistant materials made with other fibers or thermoset resins. ThermoBallistic panels provide structural bullet-resistant reinforcement to meet UL 752 Level 3 ballistic rating for interior and exterior architectural surfaces and components at a lighter weight than traditional panel materials.

 * Gravi-Tech density modified formulation: Gravi-Tech materials combine the touch, feel, and look of steel with the flex of polymer as found in the SIG Sauer TXG grip module for the P320. This development improved the overall speed-to-market of the product and enabled Sig Sauer to launch their first-of-its-kind tungsten-infused grip module.

* CORE Non-phthalate plastisols: Exemplified in the EZR Sport gun grip, this foam technology from Avient delivers superior grip properties and improved haptics along with chemical resistance to DEET and gun oil, plus UV resistance to maintain performance and appearance.

* Polystrand continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites: A rollable yet strong material with weather-resistant performance, as seen in the Revolve tactical tripod. With a rolled storage size of only 7 x 6 inches, the Revolve packs up at one-third the size of traditional tripod designs and can be carried on a kit belt.