Defense and Protective Industries

Extraordinary Advanced Materials for Anything but Ordinary Conditions

We Go to the Ends of the Earth with You

You live in a high-spec, high-stakes world. You take on tough challenges, and so do we. Bring it on, we’ll get you there faster and better.

Shawmut produces added-value laminated components for a diverse set of ultra-high spec protective technical fabric applications, such as flame, chemical and biological protection, and ultra-high-standard utility workwear. One of our core competencies is the development and production of laminated hard and softshell materials capable of providing waterproof breathable functionality. 

We utilize PVC/nonwovens and inherently flame-resistant fibers structured into woven and knit technical fabrics and combined with selectively permeable membranes, constructed with exacting tolerances and consistent output.

Defense & Protective Industry Challenges We Solve

We’ll go to the ends of the earth with you to solve your toughest challenges.

Create and produce new advanced materials to meet specific and unique challenges.

We have been providing custom solutions for composite materials, advanced engineering, and fabric design since 1916.

 

We are leading innovators in materials science, working with a wide range of fibers, fabrics, nylons, foams, polyesters, polyurethanes, thermoplastics, cellular sponges, and more. We field state of the art equipment, from knitting to finishing, from flame laminators to rotogravure printers, in order to ensure the best workmanship possible. 

 

As an ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 certified company, we are efficiency oriented, implementing lean manufacturing methods that both minimize waste and reduce costs.

Consistently meet specifications with Berry Amendment compliant materials and sources.

Shawmut produces added-value textiles and laminated components in the USA for a diverse set of ultra-high spec protective technical fabric applications, such as flame, chemical and biological protection, and ultra-high-standard utility workwear.

We also have a storied history of supporting our home country during times of crisis and need, and are now manufacturing PPE to support the country through the pandemic and beyond.

Much of what we manufacture in the US uses trusted sources near our facilities, with a solid, long-term US supply chain base that goes back decades. That history fills us with the expertise to work with exacting environmental, regulatory and contract-specific compliance challenges others would walk away from.

Perfectly color match multiple substrates for integration into one garment.

Our vertical integration from yarn design and creation through coloration and finishing and unmatched lamination expertise allows us to hit those marks year after year, program after program, better than anyone else. Our certified material testing and color labs are unmatched in the industry for precision and repeatable color control. 

 

It all starts with our high-tech rapid color formulation and dye matching for color and consistency, through our visual and AI automated optical inspection. We’re experts in jet dyeing, beam dyeing and tank dyeing, as well as controlling the finishing process to understand how a color might shift in the finishing, heat setting, lamination, adhesive or molding processes.

Design and produce advanced, complex composites that are deployed in extraordinary conditions.

One of our core competencies is the development and production of laminated hard and softshell materials capable of resisting extremely high temperatures, providing a protective barrier against harmful chemicals, and remaining durable against the elements and multiple commercial washes while maintaining a high moisture vapor transmission to guard against heat stress.

 

We use PVC/nonwovens and inherently flame resistant fibers – such as PBI®, Nomex®, and Kevlar® – structured into woven technical fabrics or knits, and combined with selectively permeable membranes.

 

We also craft composites for utility rainwear that conforms to requirements such as ANSI/ISEA 107 for high visibility workwear, flame resistance, and electrical arc resistance. 

 

Our other protective composites range from nonwoven/Saran® film laminates used to make HazMat suits, to durable surgical medical gowns capable of achieving ASTM F1670 and ASTM F1671 standards for blood and viral barrier resistance.

We create solutions to your production challenges

We’ll go to the ends of the earth with you to solve your toughest challenges.

Shawmut's development of a waterproof breathable bootie for military applications revolutionizes defense footwear. Overcoming challenges through precision engineering, the innovative lamination process combines an abrasion-resistant surface, ePTFE membrane, and lightweight tricot. Results surpassing military specifications showcase exceptional durability, abrasion resistance, and wash performance.

READ CASE STUDY

Shawmut's innovative solution revolutionized protective textiles by laminating metalized film with a fire-retardant nonwoven. The modified roll coating method ensured even distribution of flame-retardant compounds, maintaining the composite's integrity. The resulting protective barrier fabric excelled in a stringent vertical flame test, resisted flash fires, and endured chemical challenges, offering unparalleled defense.


READ CASE STUDY
 

Shawmut's innovative solution revolutionized protective textiles by laminating metalized film with a fire-retardant nonwoven. The modified roll coating method ensured even distribution of flame-retardant compounds, maintaining the composite's integrity. The resulting protective barrier fabric excelled in a stringent vertical flame test, resisted flash fires, and endured chemical challenges, offering unparalleled defense.


READ CASE STUDY
 

Defense & Protective Industries Capabilities

Defense & Protective Industries Applications

Aircraft Protection
From stealth to weather, we have fabric solutions.

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FR Fabrics
Shawmut excels in producing advanced protective fabric composites for FR and arc applications.

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Heavy Equipment Protection
Exacting performance and durability with engineered composite fabrics and material.

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CBRN Protection Fabrics
High-spec performance fabrics that are also comfortable.

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High-Performance Workwear
Flash- and arc-rated fabrics for demanding industries.

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High-Spec Netting
Meshes and knits for apparel and protective applications.

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Chemical and Biological Protection
Unlock the key to high-performing CBRN fabrics with Shawmut engineering.

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Aerospace Interior Fabrics
Shawmut engineers have met the challenge of combining lightness with performance.

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Contracting Reference Codes

Cage Code: 8LF32

UEI: L3ETC3QM7YH9

DUNS: 084652171

NAICS Codes Registered:

313240 – Knit Fabric Mills

313310 – Textile/Fabric Finishing mills

313320 – Fabric Coating Mills

314999 – All Other Miscellaneous Textile Product Mills

315210 – Cut and Sew Apparel Contractors

315280 – Other Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing

339113 – Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing