Polycarbonate had earned the tag since the the most appropriate material for usage inside the automotive industry. However, these days, Polymethyl Methacrylate, the PMMA polymer or commonly known acrylic plastic, has efficiently risen towards the growing demands of the automotive industry in replacing polycarbonate for the best important utilization in the, namely, automotive glazing.
Long established for usage in several vehicle applications for example decorative trim, ambient lighting and door entry strips, automotive glazing is among those fields that supply the best growth potential for PMMA.
Related key features of acrylic plastic that make it well suited for the entire process of automotive glazing are discussed below.
Lightweight
To make a comparison on the erogenous level, PMMA is half the load and more transparent than glass, thereby providing magnificent visibility even just in the truth of fluctuating and unstable temperatures. Owing to its molecular structure, thermoformed methyl methacrylate resin have become used almost just for car window glazing where each of the necessary requirements for light-weight materials which can be safe, an easy task to process and perform in all weathers are met.
On top of Scratch Resistance
Another essential desire for glazing is scratch resistance. Standard PMMA already gets the highest surface hardness of thermoplastics regardless if uncoated. However, for automotive glazing, you can find stringent conditions being fulfilled to fulfill the best state of scratch resistance. The use of a coating is therefore mandatory. Given that PMMA is intrinsically UV as well as weathering-resistant, a single-step coating is successful. In comparison, thermoplastics which may have low capacity weathering have to have a two-step coating system. This brings about relatively high costs for coating.
New design possibilities
PMMA glazing is 40 to 50 percent lighter than conventional glass, which piques a person’s eye of automobile manufacturers. With the advantages being immediately obvious, PMMA is now viewed as the correct fit for automotive glazing. Weight savings apart, the transparency of acrylic plastic with its very high weathering resistance, pleasant acoustic properties, and exceptional form ability allow freedom enabling entirely new design possibilities.
Less stress birefringence
PMMA exhibits almost no stress birefringence and also this serves as a major benefit over other thermoplastics for example polycarbonate, which was primarily used for glazing before. In comparison with traditional materials for example polycarbonate, moulded PMMA, comes with a distinct chance of functional integration – reducing recess depth and assembly costs.
Environment-friendly
The new goal inside the automotive marketplace is to build up clean low fuel consumption vehicles. Given the awareness and also the requirement for eco-friendly initiatives with the current economic general scheme of things, PMMA serves as a perfect replacement for glass inside the automotive glazing segment. As vehicle manufacturers push the bounds of design, also is automotive glazing evolving.
SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer offers characteristics that match the latest challenges inside the transportation sector. It’s a monumental challenge for auto makers looking to sit in recent environmental requirements and they are thinking about alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas and save fuel. It is the perfect partner within this movement because it tends to make cars lighter.
Being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is glad to work with you understand its properties and just how it most suitable to automotive glazing.
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