The guide to shoe toes made of steel, aluminum, composite ... - safit

The toe cap has the fundamental purpose of protecting the fingers from shocks and crushing, while the three characteristics to be taken into account in the choice are the material, the shape and the use to be made of it.

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All the tips we produce guarantee resistance to impact and crushing according to current EN-s standards (impact up to 200J, compression up to kg).

The choice of the right material, with which the tip is made is of paramount importance.

SAFiT, is the only one on the market to offer safety tips in a complete range of different materials, each of which is suitable for a specific use depending on the different types of safety shoes, the use and destination of these particular protective devices.

Let’s briefly analyze what are the alternatives:

• Steel tips,
  • Made of carbon steel alloy on SAFiT internal specification, with hardening heat treatment, and epoxy surface painting.
• Tips and plates, stamped aluminium
  • Made of special aluminum and manganese alloy derived from aeronautics, for a lightweight alternative to steel.
• Injected aluminum tips,
  • An innovative SAFiT design technology, which allows to obtain a very light aluminum toecap, with very compact external dimensions for an incomparable silhouette.
• Tips in composite-ULTRA material (no polycarbonate)
  • Made of an exclusive material, (no polycarbonate) that resists chemical agents, hydrocarbons, solvents.
• Fiberglass tips,
  • Made with woven glass fibers and injected epoxy resins.
• Carbon fiber tips
  • The maximum of construction technology known so far, transferred to a safety tip.

Depending on whether you are looking for maximum impact resistance or extreme comfort, lightness or strength, we offer specific solutions for each type of safety footwear.

All SAFiT tips have an accurate and intelligently studied construction in 3D CAD, so that the external surface of the tip is the same for all the different types of material. With the same model used, the external shape always remains the same, thus facilitating those who have to switch from a version, for example steel, to one in composite-ULTRA, or from aluminum to verto fiber or from steel to aluminum and so on, the injection rings that you are going to use will always be the same, with a considerable saving of investment costs in new equipment. It will be sufficient to adapt only the internal shape and adapt it to the relative different thicknesses.

You can choose our safety tips in steel, fiberglass, composite or aluminum, or carbon fiber and be sure, all materials ensure very high performances: the difference lies in lightness, flexibility or cost.

Our internal laboratory certified RPN by Ricotest, constantly monitors all our products and regularly provides all the certificates of analysis and testing that we perform daily and systematically in-house.

All our products are accompanied by a certificate issued by an independent and accredited external laboratory ACCREDIA, which certifies and proves the regularity and compliance according to the specifications of ENS

This guide has been created to provide, in an objective way, an analysis of the different characteristics of each version, and there is no better variant than others, or a better material ever, but each version in its own way, is better suited to the use and / or use that the shoe must face. It is therefore very important to understand what availability there are and what are the individual characteristics of each, to make the most of each feature and obtain excellent results.

At the same time, just as the most salient properties were highlighted, the characteristics that are considered as a disadvantage were also reported.

It is very important to understand and evaluate well both these positive and negative characteristics, therefore, to avoid using a product that is not suitable or that does not support certain stresses or uses.

At the same time, once you have read and understood the different possibilities, listed below, you can re-evaluate your current uses and check if you are using the most appropriate model or you can undertake a feasibility study phase for replacement with a different class, to improve performance or increase the areas of use of your products.

In any case, our team is at your disposal to provide all the technical and commercial information to the questions that you will submit to us as a result of reading and analyzing this document.

Here is the complete guide to choose the perfect safety tip for the construction of your next shoe.

Hardened steel toe cap

The SAFiT hardened steel tips are perfect for those who prefer strength and economy.

• Transverse fibers
  • As everyone knows, steel also has fibers inside, due to the process of melting and rolling, and just as a piece of wood has a greater resistance to breakage if the stress we apply is transverse to the fibers rather than parallel to them. To ensure maximum resistance, we carry out all our production in order to have the fibers of the material arranged transversely to the impact force that is applied in the impact test according to ENs.
• Carbon steel alloy, SAFiT exclusive specification.
  • A chemical and physical formulation of the steel raw material specifically studied and customized, developed by years of experience, gives our tips a greater resistance to impact and crushing, compared to the classic metal tips with the same weight.
  • The quality and constancy of performance is a cornerstone of our characteristics, therefore, using the raw material always the same, which is the starting point, and of the highest level, guarantees us very high and constant performance. Therefore, using an alloy made specifically to our specifications guarantees a greater constancy of performance. Conversely, those who buy common steel in the market have very wide variations that vary from producer to producer, which then translate into variations in performance.
• rounded bottom corners
  • all SAFiT products have rounded edges of the two ends of the toecap, thus allowing a significant reduction in weight, increasing comfort in walking, and preventing damage to the sole.
• On all SAFiT hardened steel tips it is possible to add the PVC rubber.
• The thickness of the hardened steel safety tip can be 1.5; 1,6; 1.8 or 2.0mm.

Despite the complexity and the considerable work behind us to make the steel tip, we have invested in technologies and automations, such as to allow a considerable reduction in production costs over the years, obtaining the best tip ever, at very competitive prices.

The following advantages and disadvantages of choosing a steel toe cap include:

StrengthsWeaknessesExcellent resistance to impact and compression testsConsiderable weightGood corrosion resistanceMagneticGood resistance to chemicalsDetectable by metal detectorsExcellent fire resistanceGreat availability in various models and sizes*Space-saving spaceConsistent and repetitive performance

* being an article of long life, over the years many models and many sizes have been made

Pressed aluminium alloy toe cap

The SAFiT tips, in aluminum alloy, are made of specific material and obtained from sheet metal with a thickness of 2.5mm suitably deformed, therefore they have a constant thickness. For this reason, in order to ensure adequate resistance to impact and compression tests required by the ENS standard, they are externally more bulky, however, they allow a considerable weight reduction compared to steel tips.

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• Specially designed aluminum alloy;
  • A specifically designed and customized chemical and physical formulation of the alloy derived from aeronautics, gives this tip an adequate resistance to impact and crushing, which is obtained through the deformation molding technology, very similar to that of the corresponding steel tips.
• rounded bottom corners
  • like all SAFiT products, the molded aluminum tips also have rounded edges of the two ends, thus allowing a significant reduction in weight, increasing walking comfort, and preventing damage to the sole.
• On all injected aluminum SAFiT tips it is possible to add the PVC joint.

Despite the complexity and the considerable work behind us to make the molded aluminum tip, we have invested in technologies and automations, derived from the experience of the production of steel tips, such as to allow a considerable reduction in production costs.

The following advantages and disadvantages of choosing the molded aluminum tip:

StrengthsWeaknessesLightness, -30% steel weightDetectable by metal detectorsAdequate resistance to impact and compression testsCumbersomeExcellent resistance to corrosion and chemicalsExcellent fire resistance

Injected aluminium toe cap

The SAFiT tips, in injected aluminum, are ideal for those looking for lightness and a very contained exterior silhouette. They are characterized by being ultralight and ultra-resistant. They are ideal for footwear that requires lightness and comfort, but also strength and resistance. These toe caps have variable thickness, to best adapt to any type of footwear.

• An exclusive production technology.
  • A technology developed after years of research by our SAFiT team of researchers with the aim of creating an aluminum tip that could be ultralight, but at the same time very resistant.
  • The exclusive technology developed by the SAFiT research center gives unparalleled quality and consistency of performance.
• Specially designed aluminum alloy;
  • A chemical and physical formulation specifically studied and customized of the alloy, gives this tip a greater resistance to impact and crushing, compared to the corresponding aluminum tips, without compromising the aesthetics of the tip shape.
• rounded bottom corners
  • like all SAFiT products, the injected aluminum tips also have rounded edges of the two ends, thus allowing a significant reduction in weight, increasing walking comfort, and preventing damage to the sole.
• On all injected aluminum SAFiT tips it is possible to add the PVC joint.
• The thickness of the injected aluminum safety toe cap is variable, thus allowing an extremely streamlined external line of the shoe, to look in all respects a normal shoe.

Although the new technology developed is extremely laborious, we have invested to reduce manual intervention as much as possible, replacing it with technologies and automations, such as to allow a significant reduction in production costs, so we can offer the best aluminum tip ever, at very competitive prices.

The following advantages and disadvantages of choosing the injected aluminum tip:

StrengthsWeaknessesLightness, -40% steel weightSensitive to metal detectorsExcellent resistance to impact and compression testsDiscreet availability in various models and sizes*Excellent resistance to corrosion and chemicalsExcellent fire resistanceSpace-saving spaceConsistent and repetitive performanceVery tight construction tolerances

* It is an innovative technology, not all variants are yet available but we are available to carry out the equipment that you will indicate necessary for your needs.

Composite toe cap-ULTRA

The SAFiT tips, made of innovative thermoplastic composite material (no polycarbonate) are light and comfortable.

• Transverse fibers
  • As we have seen for steel, even plastic, has fibers inside, due to the injection process, and as well as a wooden board, it has a greater resistance if the stress we apply is along the fibers or transversely to them. To ensure maximum resistance, we carry out all our production in order to have the fibers of the material arranged transversely to the impact force that is applied in the impact test according to ENs.
• Exclusive chemical formulation;
  • a specifically designed and customized chemical and physical formulation of the polymer mixture called composite-UTRA, gives this tip a good resistance to impact and crushing.
  • The particular formulation gives an absolute resistance to chemical agents, including products derived from petroleum, as well as solvents and glues often used for the realization of footwear.
• On all SAFiT tips in composite-ULTRA it is possible to add the PVC joint.
• The thickness of the ULTRA-composite safety tip is variable, and on the front it has a considerable thickness, it follows that the internal shape and the external shape are different and deviate by one size.

The ULTRA composite tip is lightweight, non-magnetic, a perfect electrical insulator, offers exceptional thermal insulation.

The following advantages and disadvantages of choosing the injected aluminum tip:

StrengthsWeaknessesLightness, -40% steel weightPoor fire resistanceGood resistance to impact and compression testsCumbersomeExcellent resistance to corrosion and chemicalsSensitive to humidityNot detectable at metal detectorsNon-magneticDielectricConsistent and repetitive performance

Fiberglass toe cap

SAFiT, fiberglass tips are lightweight, comfortable and very durable.

The main feature of the non-magnetic composite safety tips in resin and fiberglass is that they are very rigid, so they guarantee high performance with smaller dimensions than the composite-ULTRA.

The production is carried out almost entirely by hand, for this reason they are made in China.

• Specially designed epoxy resin;
  • A chemical and physical formulation specifically designed and customized of the epoxy resin, gives this tip a high rigidity and the intertwined and crossed glass fibers allow a high resistance to impact and crushing.
• On all SAFiT fiberglass tips it is possible to add the PVC joint.
• The thickness of the fiberglass safety tip is variable, and on the front it has a greater thickness, but not excessive as for the composite-ULTRA version, it follows that the internal shape and the external shape do not need to be scaled, but just a few simple changes.

The fiberglass toe cap is lightweight, non-magnetic, an excellent electrical insulator, offers exceptional thermal insulation, is particularly suitable for PVC boots; TPU; PU-TPU; NBR, but also footwear where the sole is extremely soft.

The following advantages and disadvantages of choosing fiberglass toe cap:

StrengthsWeaknessesLightness, -30% steel weightPoor fire resistanceExcellent resistance to impact and compression testsLess consistent and repetitive performanceExcellent resistance to corrosion and chemicalsNot detectable at metal detectorsNon-magneticDielectricSpace-saving

Carbon fiber toe cap

The SAFiT tips, in carbon fiber, guarantee the best performance of impact and crushing resistance at the same time. The extreme lightness and very reduced thicknesses are the main features of this avant-garde product.

Braided and crossed fibers allow greater resistance to impact and crushing.

The production is carried out almost entirely by hand, for this reason they are made in China.

The main feature of the non-magnetic composite safety tips in resin and carbon fiber is that they are extremely rigid, and very thin, guarantee very high performance with smaller dimensions than the composite-ULTRA or those in fiberglass, so they can be compared to the steel version, but weigh 60% less.

• Specially designed epoxy resin;
  • A chemical and physical formulation specifically designed and customized of the epoxy resin, gives this tip a high rigidity and the intertwined and crossed glass fibers allow a high resistance to impact and crushing.
• On all SAFiT carbon fiber tips you can add the PVC joint.
• The thickness of the carbon fiber safety tip is variable, and on the front it has a maximum thickness of 2mm, it follows that the internal shape and the external shape do not require any modification and can replace the steel one with the same performance if not even higher …

The carbon fiber toe cap is very light, non-magnetic, an excellent electrical insulator, offers exceptional thermal insulation, is particularly suitable for PVC boots; TPU; PU-TPU; NBR, but also on footwear with extreme performance and characteristics.

The following advantages and disadvantages of choosing carbon fiber toe cap:

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