Creating Hurricane Resistant Windows While Maintaining Serviceability
Enabling Storm-Rated, Repairable Windows with Custom Converting
Assembling windows and entry systems for regions with hurricanes and harsh storms means designing to withstand extreme impacts, wind pressure, and intense rain. But creating that ruggedness comes with a secondary problem: keeping the final product easy to service.
For one US-based manufacturer specializing in entry systems and building assemblies, that balance between ruggedness and maintenance posed a unique challenge for one of their window products. How can you make windows easy to disassemble and maintain without compromising strength?
Our team stepped in to help alongside Ellsworth’s custom converting services, creating an innovative attachment system where storm-rated protection comes alongside easy maintenance.
The Glue Doctors® Delivered
- A storm-ready, serviceable building solution
- Fast iterations of converted prototypes
- Easy material selection and customization
The Challenge: Storm-Ready & Serviceable
The design had to balance durability with easy serviceability, eliminate leakage concerns, bond effectively to PVC despite its low surface energy, and allow for repairs after installation.
The initial option was high-strength tape, which performed well in adhesion and sealing. But issues arose when the window needed repairs. The tape was too strong in the wrong ways, and removing parts would require a complete, irreversible tear-down.
The problem seemed contradictory: how can an assembly withstand hurricanes while being easily removable?
To solve it, our experts brought a deep understanding of adhesive performance, joint design, and modern attachment solutions.
The Solution: Custom Converted Hook-and-Loop
After testing different tape products and attachment styles, we arrived at a highly engineered hook-and-loop tape fastening system. Its interlocking structure offered predictable behavior, depending on the direction of force.
- With a specific removal force, intentional disassembly is easy
- In shear and suction-type loads, the system is highly resistant
Harnessing that directional behavior was key to balancing maintainability with durability. Workers could easily disassemble the window when needed, but hurricane force winds were resisted.
Prototyping & Converting: Making it Buildable
Selecting the right fastening process was only the first step. To make it a scalable manufacturing solution, we provided custom-converting capabilities to meet their unique design constraints and assembly flow.
The process offers a wide range of customizations such as:
- Extended tape liners for easier handling
- Custom slitting for precise widths
- Die-cutting to precise geometry
The result for this customer was a ready-to-use material precisely sized for every window design, making it easy for technicians to install and repair.
The Outcome: A Storm-Ready, Repairable Window Design
With the custom-converted product in-hand and a reliable way to assemble each hook-and-loop fastener, our customer moved forward with a more maintainable storm-rated design. Instead of choosing between hurricane performance and serviceability, they achieved a solution supporting both.
Ask The Glue Doctors® about Custom Converting
From prototype to production, our converting capabilities help you turn tapes, foams, films, and more into ready-to-use custom formats.