Polycarbonate had earned the tag because the best option material for usage inside the automotive industry. However, recently, 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 important use in the market, namely, automotive glazing.
Long established for usage in a number of vehicle applications like decorative trim, ambient lighting and door entry strips, automotive glazing is one of those fields that provide the highest growth risk of PMMA.
Related key features of acrylic plastic which make it ideal for the whole process of automotive glazing are discussed below.
Lightweight
To make a comparison over a erogenous level, PMMA is half the extra weight and much more transparent than glass, thereby providing superior visibility during the situation of fluctuating and unstable temperatures. Due to its molecular structure, thermoformed methyl methacrylate resin are used almost mainly for car window glazing where all of the necessary requirements for light-weight materials which might be safe, easy to process and perform in all weathers are met.
On top of Scratch Resistance
Another critical desire for glazing is scratch resistance. Standard PMMA already gets the highest surface hardness of thermoplastics regardless if uncoated. However, for automotive glazing, you’ll find stringent conditions to be fulfilled to satisfy the best condition of scratch resistance. The effective use of a coating is thus mandatory. Due to the fact PMMA is intrinsically UV in addition to weathering-resistant, a single-step coating is useful. In comparison, thermoplastics who have low potential to deal with weathering have to have a two-step coating system. This brings about relatively high costs for coating.
New design possibilities
PMMA glazing is Forty to fifty percent lighter than conventional glass, which piques a persons vision of automobile manufacturers. With all the advantages being immediately obvious, PMMA is now considered the best fit for automotive glazing. Weight savings apart, the transparency of acrylic plastic in addition to its quite high weathering resistance, pleasant acoustic properties, and exceptional form ability allow freedom enabling entirely new design possibilities.
Less negative feelings birefringence
PMMA exhibits very little stress birefringence this also serves as a major benefit over other thermoplastics like polycarbonate, which has been primarily employed for glazing during the past. In comparison with traditional materials like polycarbonate, moulded PMMA, supplies a distinct potential for functional integration – reducing recess depth and assembly costs.
Environment-friendly
The modern goal inside the automotive companies are to formulate clean low fuel consumption vehicles. In the awareness as well as the dependence on eco-friendly initiatives in the current general scheme of things, PMMA serves as a perfect option to glass inside the automotive glazing segment. As vehicle manufacturers push the boundaries of design, so too is automotive glazing evolving.
SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer offers characteristics that match the latest challenges inside the transportation sector. It’s a monumental challenge for car makers that want to adjust to recent environmental requirements and so are thinking about alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas and save fuel. It does not take perfect partner with this movement since it can make cars lighter.
Being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is happy to help you out to understand its properties and exactly how it suitable to automotive glazing.
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