The Epic Method · structural attachment for security window film · patent-pending

Same sealant. Two installs. Only one is a system.

Press play. Three narrated minutes in 3D show the five stages of the Epic Method next to the shortcut most of the industry calls standard — then everything below explains what you saw, with the spec sheet and the test data.

▶ Play the walkthrough · 11 narrated stages · drag the model · tabs: Epic Way | Shortcut | Side-by-side Open full screen ↗Download the spec sheet

Every Epic Certified Installation Specialist is trained and certified in-house to the Epic Method — no subcontractors, ever. The badge on the shirt is the same one on the van and on this page.

Why attachment matters

Film holds glass together. Attachment holds glass in the building.

Every forced-entry event ends at the glass-to-frame bond. Unattached film — even the best 3M film — can be pushed out of the frame as a single sheet. A structural silicone sealant attachment converts safety film, glass and frame into one unit, so an intruder has to defeat the film itself rather than pop the pane.

The Epic Way. The right way. It is the attachment method engineered around the substrate prep, bond contact and mechanical interlock the sealant manufacturer’s own data sheet requires, plus an additional mechanical anchoring step to maximize pull-out resistance.

Glass entry doors — **Without**Standard glass: one strike and the opening is clear. People and inventory are exposed in seconds.

**With Epic — 3M S2400 + Epic Method**3M S2400 attached with the Epic Method: the glass breaks but stays in the frame — no opening, no shards, time for response.

**Without**Standard glass: one strike and the opening is clear. People and inventory are exposed in seconds.

**With Epic — 3M S2400 + Epic Method**3M S2400 attached with the Epic Method: the glass breaks but stays in the frame — no opening, no shards, time for response.

The 5-stage method

No step is optional.

Structural silicone sealant, installed by an Epic-Certified Installation Specialist using Epic’s patent-pending method on existing aluminum-framed glazing — for forced-entry, blast, or windstorm applications.

OEM glazing

The factory-assembled window as it exists today: aluminum frame, interior and exterior EPDM gaskets, insulated glass unit. The starting condition of every retrofit.

Remove interior gasket

The interior (room-side) gasket is removed completely — not trimmed — exposing the channel between glass edge and frame and eliminating the gasket’s oil source. Oil in EPDM rubber is the reason sealant-over-gasket bonds fail.

Cork wedges driven & cut flush

Two cork wedges per side are driven into the open channel, pulling the glass tight against the exterior gasket. Wedge tops are cut flush using the frame edge as a guide — a stable, mechanical seat for bonding.

Security film applied

The specified 3M safety & security film is applied to the room-side surface, bottom edge flush with the frame. Daylight opening fully preserved.

Structural attachment

Structural silicone sealant is tooled into the open channel — 3/8" or 1/2" exposed on both frame and glass/film, with additional sealant keyed into the glazing frame to create a deeper mechanical interlock. Film, glass and frame are now one load-bearing unit.

Minimum bead by application

Forced-entry resistance3/8"Windstorm3/8"Blast mitigation1/2"Oversized / heavy glass1/2"

3/8" satisfies forced-entry and windstorm per the sealant specification. Epic steps up to 1/2" on oversized lites — independent of threat class — for the added glass weight at the bond line.

What sets the Epic process apart

Structural silicone sealant — the same best-in-class sealant, applied the way its data sheet actually requires.
Gasket fully removed — deeper structural attachment, no low-surface-energy oil from EPDM.
Cork wedge system — glass seated tight against the exterior gasket before bonding.
Tooled fillet bond — continuous, air-gap-free bead tooled into the open channel.
Rapid structural cure — tack-free in 60 minutes; full adhesion in 21 days.
Certified-installer-only — every bead applied by an Epic-Certified Installation Specialist. No exceptions.

On the job · 2:35

The same method, on a real window, by an Epic crew.

The 3D model shows the anatomy. This is what it looks like in a building: gasket out, glass seated, film down, bead tooled — by the Certified Installation Specialists who do it every day.

Field footage · coming soonMacro: the tooled beadFilmed on Epic job sites — new footage is added as projects complete.

Field footage · coming soonField test footageFilmed on Epic job sites — new footage is added as projects complete.

Video thumbnail: Epic Certified Security Window Film Installation — how the Epic Method is installed

Under impact

Attached film under forced entry, impact and blast.

3M S2400 demonstrated against forced entry, impact and blast — and the reason Epic will not install security film for forced entry without a structural attachment.

Want it in person? Epic runs live impact demonstrations for districts, consultants and security directors.

Video thumbnail: 3M S2400 Security Window Film — Forced Entry, Impact & Blast Protection Demonstrated

ASTM F3561 · where we stand

The standard was built for a different product than the one it’s being used to judge.

ASTM F3561 is the forced-entry test now showing up in school and government RFPs. It was written for complete OEM window and door systems — not for film applied afterward to glass and frames Epic didn’t design. We tested to it anyway, because a good objection doesn’t win a bid and a specifier deserves data, not the benefit of the doubt.

3M S2400 with the Epic Method on standard commercial aluminum storefront framing, four assemblies in two sizes, Intertek Building & Construction (York, PA; ISO/IEC 17025). Forced-Entry Rating Level 2 on all four; all four failed at Level 3; no difference between specimen sizes. That is the tested result for those assemblies — not a compliance claim, not a product rating, and not a bulletproof or forced-entry-proof claim of any kind.

Download The Retrofit Gap Writing a spec? Talk to us

3M technical bulletin

“[ASTM F3561] was not designed to evaluate retrofit building window film that would be applied to a wide variety of existing door/entry and window glass systems.”

International Window Film Association

“Neither installed window film nor retrofit glazing incorporated into existing framing or doors is covered under ASTM F3561.”

Epic’s position

We agree with 3M’s published guidance. The goal isn’t a workaround — it’s a seat at the table while these specifications are still being written, so retrofit film is evaluated on criteria suited to what it actually is.

Downloads

Take the spec with you.

For architects, security consultants, facility directors and procurement. Enter your email and the PDF downloads immediately; we’ll send a copy plus a short series on what to look for in any attached-film specification.

Free download · 5 pages

Installed the Epic Way — spec sheet + shortcut comparison

The print-ready 5-page spec: the 5-stage method, minimum bead by application, part numbers, and the shortcut side by side.

Free download · 1 page

How the shortcut is installed — failure-mode handout

One page: the common industry install step by step and where each step goes wrong. It’s not the sealant; it’s the installation.

Free download · 2 pages

The Retrofit Gap: ASTM F3561 and retrofit security film

Epic’s position statement with the Intertek test summary — what the standard was written for, what we tested, the Level 2 result on all four assemblies, and exactly what this is not.

FAQ

Epic Method questions

Is the Epic Method a special sealant?

No. It uses the same structural silicone sealant the rest of the industry has access to. The Epic Method is the patent-pending installation process around it — removing the gasket, preparing the substrate, seating the glass on cork wedges, and tooling the bead into the open channel so it bonds to three surfaces instead of one. Same sealant; a completely different result.

What is “the shortcut” and why does it fail?

The common industry install runs a bead of sealant over the existing interior gasket. EPDM gaskets contain oil; sealant bonds poorly to oiled rubber, and the gasket itself is not structural. Under impact, the bead peels off the gasket or the gasket pulls out of the channel, and the filmed glass leaves the frame. The sealant isn’t the defect — the installation is.

Does removing the gasket damage the window?

No. The interior gasket is a dry-glazing retention strip, not a weather seal; the exterior gasket and the IGU seal are untouched. The cork wedges and structural silicone replace the retention function with something far stronger, and the daylight opening is preserved.

Has the Epic Method been tested?

Yes. 3M S2400 installed with the Epic Method on standard commercial aluminum storefront framing was independently tested at an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratory (Intertek Building & Construction, York, PA) to ASTM F3561 Method A. All four assemblies — two sizes, in duplicate — reached Forced-Entry Rating Level 2 and failed at Level 3, with no difference between the 2×3 and 3×5 specimens. F3561 was written for complete OEM window systems, not retrofit film, so Epic tested for data rather than to claim compliance; the position statement below explains both the result and why. A district-run field evaluation against competing products is what led to Epic being awarded the largest school security window film project in U.S. history.

Does the Epic Method “meet” ASTM F3561?

We don’t claim that, and neither should anyone selling film. ASTM F3561 evaluates a complete, factory-built window or door system — glass, frame, anchors and hardware together. 3M and the International Window Film Association have both put in writing that retrofit film is not covered by it. Epic tested to it anyway because the requirement is appearing in school and government RFPs and “it doesn’t apply to us” is not an answer a purchasing officer can act on. Level 2 on all four assemblies is the tested result for those assemblies; it is not a product rating. Download The Retrofit Gap for the full statement and the report details.

Is security film bulletproof?

No. No window film is bulletproof or bullet-resistant, and Epic will never describe it that way. Attached security film is designed to keep broken glass in the frame so a forced-entry opening is not created on the first strikes — buying time for response. See our plain-language explainer.

Talk to the people who wrote the method

Specifying attached security film? Send drawings, a glazing schedule, or just the address. Chris Eder’s team will tell you what will and won’t work on your frames.

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