Tag: methyl methacrylate resin

Polycarbonate had earned the tag because most suitable material to use from the automotive industry. However, recently, Polymethyl Methacrylate, the PMMA polymer or commonly known acrylic plastic, has efficiently risen for the growing demands from the automotive industry in replacing polycarbonate which are more important utilization in the industry, namely, automotive glazing.

Long established to use in several vehicle applications including decorative trim, ambient lighting and door entry strips, automotive glazing is among those fields offering the best growth potential for PMMA.
Related key popular features of acrylic plastic which render it suitable for the operation of automotive glazing are discussed below.
Lightweight
To generate a comparison with a very basic level, PMMA is half the load plus more transparent than glass, thereby providing crystal clear visibility even just in the case of fluctuating and unstable temperatures. As a result of its molecular structure, thermoformed acrylic sheet are now used almost just for car window glazing where all of the necessary requirements for light-weight materials that are safe, an easy task to process and perform in most weathers are met.
On top of Scratch Resistance
Another essential requirement of glazing is scratch resistance. Standard PMMA already has the highest surface hardness of all thermoplastics regardless if uncoated. However, for automotive glazing, you’ll find stringent conditions to become fulfilled to satisfy the ideal condition of scratch resistance. The effective use of a coating is therefore mandatory. Since PMMA is intrinsically UV along with weathering-resistant, a single-step coating is useful. On the other hand, thermoplastics which have low effectiveness against weathering have to have a two-step coating system. This ends in relatively high costs for coating.
New design possibilities
PMMA glazing is 40 to 50 percent lighter than conventional glass, which piques the interest of automobile manufacturers. Together with the advantages being immediately obvious, PMMA has become considered the right fit for automotive glazing. Weight savings apart, the transparency of acrylic plastic with its extremely high weathering resistance, pleasant acoustic properties, and exceptional form ability allow freedom enabling entirely new design possibilities.
Less stress birefringence
PMMA exhibits very little stress birefringence which works as a major benefit over other thermoplastics including polycarbonate, which has been primarily used by glazing before. In contrast to traditional materials including polycarbonate, moulded PMMA, comes with a distinct chance for functional integration – reducing recess depth and assembly costs.
Environment-friendly
The brand new goal from the automotive industry is to build up clean low fuel consumption vehicles. In the awareness and also the dependence on eco-friendly initiatives in today’s general scheme of things, PMMA works as a perfect alternative to glass from the automotive glazing segment. As vehicle manufacturers push the bounds of design, also is automotive glazing evolving.
SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer offers characteristics that meet the latest challenges from the transportation sector. It’s a monumental challenge for car makers that are looking for to adjust to recent environmental requirements and they are thinking about alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas and save fuel. It is the perfect partner within this movement as it helps make cars lighter.
Being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to help you understand its properties and exactly how it best suited to automotive glazing.
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How do a liquid that has just 5 carbon atoms, 2 oxygen atoms and 8 hydrogen atoms be utilized for durable purposes where thermal resistance, electrical resistance and mechanical strength is of prime importance? The result lies in a word – “Polymerisation”.
Through this infographic, we trace the journey of MMA (Methyl Methacrylate), a liquid monomer which can be polymerised to lead to PMMA polymer (Polymethyl Methacrylate), and its various grades.

MMA may be polymerised to PMMA through solution polymerisation, emulsion polymerisation and bulk polymerisation techniques. All these reactions occur in a good a catalyst. The resulting pmma suppliers may be modified to several shapes, sizes and forms with regards to the additives.
Various grades of SUMIPEX®, the Polymethyl methacrylate resin manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical, that are obtained on adding additives are:
• ‘High Impact Grade of SUMIPEX® PMMA’ – Properties like high flow and good heat resistance choose this suitable for manufacturing extruded sheets/ pipes/ rods, construction materials, automotive parts and industrial applications
• ‘Extrusion Grade of SUMIPEX® PMMA’ – Good extrusion molding characteristics, high surface hardness, superb weatherability and excellent chemical resistance will be the properties of this grade that favour its use within extruded sheets/ pipes/ rods.
• ‘Heat Resistant Grades of SUMIPEX® PMMA’ – Excellent heat resistance, excellent surface hardness and mechanical strength enables use of this grade in automotive parts like tail lamp, instrument cluster, optical Lens, general lights, etc.
• ‘Optical Grades of SUMIPEX® PMMA’ – With excellent heat resistance and flow properties, the optical grades with extremely low quantities of foreign contaminants can be used light Guide panels and optical lenses.
• ‘High Flow Grade of SUMIPEX® PMMA’- With characteristics like high-flow during injection molding and good moldability, this grade is mandatory for intricate parts and thin-wall parts molding like watch and clock cover, lighting cover, name plate, house ware, etc.
• ‘General Purpose Grades of SUMIPEX® PMMA’ – General Purpose Grades determine among normal and optical grades/special grades. General Purpose Grades like MH, LG, LG2, etc. will comw with under “Extrusion Grade”, “Heat Resistance Grade” and “High Flow Grade”. With balanced properties like heat resistance and mechanical strength, this grade works to create great deal of products like house ware, stationery, telephone buttons, piano keys, electrical accessories, ornaments, etc.
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