Excellent properties for high performance in defense and security
Defense & Security
Rising global conflict and security threats have driven sustained demand for ballistic protection across military, law enforcement, and armored vehicle applications. The central challenge remains constant: delivering effective protection without compromising mobility or performance through excessive weight.
Ceramic materials are among the most effective solutions available, combining exceptional hardness with low density. Kymera supplies high-performance powders for two of the most widely used ballistic ceramics: silicon carbide (SiC) and boron carbide (B₄C).
Why these materials?
Both SiC and B₄C offer the properties that define high-performance armor ceramics:
- Exceptional hardness for ballistic defeat
- High mechanical strength under impact
- Low density relative to metals, reducing carried and vehicle weight
Boron carbide is the lighter of the two — the third-hardest material known — making it the preferred choice where weight reduction is the primary constraint, such as in personal body armor. Silicon carbide offers a strong balance of performance and cost-effectiveness, and is widely used in both body armor plates and vehicle protection tiles.
Processing and components
Ceramic armor components are formed through hot pressing, dry pressing, or slip casting, followed by sintering to achieve the required mechanical properties. Typical end products include strike-face plates for body armor and tile arrays for vehicle protection systems.
Silicon Carbide Solutions
Fiven offers a variety of products for armor applications. Our R&D experts are able to develop unique powder formulations and processing routes in our laboratories. Close collaboration between R&D and production teams ensure a unique capacity to satisfy even the most stringent customer requests.
SIKA Shield (B4C)
Fiven offers boron carbide in different particle sizes down to submicron and the material is also available as a composite mixes with SiC in various ratios.